The Chicago Bears came into this season with Super Bowl aspirations but have stumbled to a 1-1 record thanks to a stagnant offense. They’ll hope to get that offense revved up on Monday night as they take on a Washington Redskins team that has started the year 0-2. From the first whistle to the last we break down the odds with our best bets and predictions for Monday Night Football.
CHICAGO BEARS AT WASHINTON REDSKINS (+4.5, 41)
QUICK HITTER
The Bears offense has really struggled through the first two games of the year, scoring just a single touchdown. One bright spot has been the emergence of second-year kicker Eddy Pineiro who has connected on all four of his field goal attempts including one from 53 yards out last week.
While the Redskins have scored seven TDs so far this year they’re going to have a much harder time getting into the endzone against this Bears stop unit. Bet on the first score of the game being a field goal.
PICK: First Score Method – Field Goal (+100)
FIRST HALF BET
Both of these teams have problems on offense. Washington quarterback Case Keenum has actually played pretty well through the first two weeks but he doesn’t have much in the way of weapons (although ten years ago Adrian Peterson and Vernon Davis would have been great). He’s going to get beaten up against Khalil Mack and company, especially with Washington’s best offensive lineman Trent Williams still holding out.
Despite going second overall in the 2017 draft, Chicago QB Trubisky hasn’t progressed as hoped. Actually that’s an understatement: Trubisky has averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt this season which is barely more than what the Bears average per carry (4.5 yards per rush). That’s exactly as awful as it sounds. Expect both offenses to struggle early and take the 1H Under.
PICK: First Half Under 20 (-105)
TEAM/PLAYER PROP
Bears running back David Montgomery came into this season with pretty high expectations for a third round draft pick and although he only received six carries in Week 1 he received a bigger workload in Week 2, rumbling for 62 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
This is the perfect spot for Bears coach Matt Nagy to unleash his rookie, with Washington second-last in the NFL in run defense, allowing an average of 168 yards per game on the ground. Take the Over on Montgomery’s rushing yards total.
PICK: David Montgomery Over 59.5 rushing yards (-115)
FULL GAME TOTAL
Not only will these teams struggle to score early, they’ll probably have a hard time putting points on the board all day. The Bears have a terrific defensive unit and will make life miserable for Keenum. When Chicago gets the ball expect them to rely on their run game with Montgomery and control the clock.
Add in the fact that the Bears rank 25th in the league with 60.5 plays per game and the Skins rank 28th with 56.5, and you have all the makings for a slow-paced matchup.
The Under is 7-0 in the Bears last seven games going back to last season and I’m backing it again on Monday night.
PICK: Under 41
FULL GAME SIDE
Like we’ve mentioned a few times, the Bears offense has looked really bad. But even they should be able to move the chains – at least slightly – against a Redskins defense that has allowed the third-most yards (455 yards per game) and the second-most points (31.5 ppg) in the league.
The Bears still have the talent to get their offense in sync and emerge as Super Bowl contenders while the Redskins are one of the worst teams in the league and are really just biding time until they can hand the reigns of their team over to rookie QB Dwayne Haskins.
The Bears are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games while the Redskins are 1-4 ATS in their previous five contests at home. Take the Bears to win and cover.
PICK: Chicago -4.5
