Getty Chicago Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky
The Philadelphia Eagles used a late-season run and picked up a little bit of help to make the 2019 NFL playoffs. And that help came at the hands of the Chicago Bears and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Heading into Week 17, the Eagles were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They needed a win over the Washington Redskins and for the Bears to defeat the Minnesota Vikings to leap into the sixth and final wild-card spot. After they did their part, Chicago made sure to handle business against the Vikings in order to set up an NFC matchup between the two teams.
The Bears wrapped an impressive season up with a 12-4 record while the Eagles won three-straight with victories over the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans to finish at 9-7. Let’s take a look at the early betting line and odds on this matchup while also offering a prediction and pick on the game.
Eagles vs. Bears Betting Line & Total
According to The Action Network, the Bears opened as -5.5 point favorites, the line went off and then it reopened at -7 in favor of Chicago. Currently, the latest odds have the Bears sitting as just under a one-touchdown favorite.
- Spread: Bears -6.5
- Over/Under: 41.5
The game will be aired on NBC on Sunday, January 6 at 4:40 p.m. EST. The Bears hold the home-field advantage here, so the game will be at Soldier Field in Chicago.
As far as the line goes, it’s interesting to see it listed at close to a full touchdown, but it may partially have to do with the injury Eagles quarterback Nick Foles suffered in Week 17. Regardless, that’s a fairly big number and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it come down a bit before the weekend.
Eagles vs. Bears Prediction & Pick
While I do believe the Bears win this game, it was surprising to see the line where it currently sits. Regardless, Matt Nagy’s team has been excellent at home this season, posting a 7-1 record. On the other side, the Eagles have gone 4-4 on the road but did have a few impressive wins, including the aforementioned victory over the Rams in Week 15.
The Bears have proven to be one of the NFL’s top defenses this year, as they allowed 18.2 points per game through Week 16, ranking them No. 3 overall. They also gave up just 299.7 total yards per game over that span, which comes in at No. 3 as well. Pairing that with the struggles we’ve seen from the Eagles secondary at many points this season, it’s hard not to like Chicago.
If the spread stays below one touchdown, I think we see the Bears cover and the Eagles potentially struggle to put a ton of points on the board. The over/under seems a bit too low currently, so I probably wouldn’t touch that, but the Bears at -6.5 is a solid option.
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