Cincinnati vs Chicago Preview and Prediction
Led by their young core, the Cincinnati Bengals roll into Soldier Field on Sunday to take on the Chicago Bears, looking for their second straight win to open the season.
The Bengals enter the Week 2 matchup after defeating Minnesota last week in overtime, 27-24.
Chicago looks to regroup at home after a 20-point setback at Los Angeles (N) in Week 1.
Bengals vs Bears Game Odds
The Bears are a slight favorite in this one for our Bengals vs Bears prediction. According to sportsbooks, Chicago is a 2.5-point favorite on its home turf. Bettors have -110 odds on either team covering the spread.
The Bears carry -140 odds on the Moneyline, while those wishing to take the Bengals straight up have +120 odds.
Sportsbooks also set the Over/Under point total at 45, with -110 odds on either side of the number.
Rushing Leader
After playing in just six games last season, Joe Mixon appears to be back to his back-to-back 1,000-yard production years of 2018-19. The fifth-year back out of Oklahoma racked up a league-best 127 yards on the ground in last week’s 27-24 win over the Vikings.
Welcome Back
Joe Burrow showed no signs of his knee injury lingering effects, which cost him most of his rookie season a year ago. The second-year pro from LSU completed 20 of 27 passes for 261 yards with two touchdowns in the win.
Burrow was also sacked five times in the game, which is not something any Bengals fan wants to see regularly, but it was also a good sign regarding Burrow being completely healthy.
Former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase led the way with 101 yards on five receptions, while second-year WR Tee Higgins hauled in four passes for 58 yards.
Not as Bad as It Looked?
Did Chicago really perform as badly as the 20-point loss indicates? Chicago managed to produce more first downs than the Rams (24-21) which led to possessing the ball for 10 minutes more than the Rams.
The Bears were in the plus territory on their first five possessions of the game, but a costly turnover in the end zone on their first possession and a pair of failed fourth-down attempts only produced one score on those possessions.
The point being, Chicago was able to move the ball against last year’s No. 1 ranked defense, and now it just has to learn to finish drives.
Lone Bright Spot
Montgomery picked up his sixth career 100-yard rushing game on Sunday night as he finished with 108 yards on just 16 totes. Los Angeles did not allow a 100-yard rusher all of last season. Montgomery also scored a touchdown marking the seventh straight game the running back has found the end zone, which the great Walter Payton only tops.
Banged Up
One of the big question marks for the Bears heading into the season was how would the offensive line stack up.
The Bears’ front five seemed to hold its own against the Rams most of the game, but injuries to Jason Peters and Larry Borom led to a pair of sacks in the second half and three for the game.
Both offensive linemen are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Bengals.
Bengals vs Bears Betting Trends
In its last eight games, Cincinnati is 6-2 against the spread against NFC North foes and is 9-3-1 ATS in its last 13 September games.
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last five home games and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
The Under has hit in five of the last six games the Bears have faced an AFC opponent.
Free Bet: Under 45 (-110)
Good luck with your Bengals vs Bears prediction!
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