Chicago Bears hype is about to get very loud.
This NFL season seems wide open. There isn’t one great team yet and there are few trustworthy contenders who have emerged. The Bears seemingly saw it the same way when they traded two first-round picks for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
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And through one game, it seems like a transformative trade. The Bears had a fantastic performance on a national stage, shutting down the Seahawks in a 34-17 win. Chicago’s Super Bowl odds took a leap, as did Caleb Williams’ MVP odds. In a season dying for a dominant team to emerge, maybe it’s Chicago.
The Bears’ offense isn’t a question. It has scored 30 points in every game Williams has started and finished (it did score just three points against the Vikings and Williams played three-and-a-half quarters, but that says something about Minnesota’s defense). If Simmons has as big of an impact on the defense as it appeared on Monday night, Chicago will be looking really good. Nobody paying attention to the NFL hadn’t seen how dominant Simmons is, but it was still impressive to see how quickly he fit in and made plays.
Chicago gets another close-up in prime time this week. They face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Surprisingly, the Buccaners are far better analytically than their 3-5 record would suggest. They’re fifth in DVOA, eight spots ahead of the Bears, and eight in net EPA (expected points added) per play. The Bears are strong in net EPA, coming in third.
The Buccaneers will be completely overshadowed in this game. The Bears will be the focus on Sunday night as they’ve emerged as one of the NFL’s most dangerous teams. That’s a reason they’re a healthy 6.5-point favorite. That’s a lot of points, and the Buccaneers might be secretly pretty good. That’s why Buccaneers +6.5 is the pick. And if the Bears blow out Tampa Bay in a big prime-time window, they’ll take over as the talk of the NFL, if they’re not already.
The Bears are 4-0 in games that Caleb Williams started and finished this season. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Here are the rest of the picks against the spread for Week 9 of the NFL season:
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Jaguars (-10) over Ravens
Even at -10, the line seems too low. The Jaguars have three wins by 24 points or more and two came against the 5-3 Browns and the 5-3 Patriots. They’re good. There could be a letdown facing Baltimore undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano, and it’s possible the Ravens rally around Fagnano for a season-saving performance with Jacoby Brissett on the way next week. But this seems like a huge ask for the Ravens, who have scored 13 or fewer points in three straight games.
Bengals (-3) over Falcons
The Bengals and Falcons go to Madrid, Spain for this one. The Falcons are nearly impossible to figure out. They followed up a win over the undefeated 49ers by losing to a Buccaneers team that didn’t complete a pass. That sums up their season. We should trust Joe Burrow, who is on a heater, though there are more questions about Cincinnati’s defense after it gave up 36 points to the Titans at home last week.
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Giants (-3) over Eagles
Maybe Joe Milton III gives Philadelphia a boost and the Eagles get their first win since Week 2. But since Jalen Hurts went on IR, the Eagles have lost all three games by double digits. It’s not a good team in any way, and Milton is far from a sure thing. The Giants are off a bye and should be feeling good coming into this one.
Panthers (+2.5) over Broncos
The Broncos are the better team. A few things work against them in this spot: It’s an early start on the East Coast, the Panthers have three days rest advantage and the Broncos are coming off an emotional win over the Chiefs and there could be a letdown. Denver has also been much better at home this season. Carolina has faded after a good start but this is a decent opportunity for a win.
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Dolphins (+7) over Lions
Give Miami credit for playing hard. Maybe at some point that effort starts to fade but the last time they truly got blown out was Week 2. They lost by 14 points to the Chiefs, but Kansas City led by only seven points with three minutes left. It’s possible the Lions score enough to cover, but remember that they’re usually a different team outdoors.
Chiefs (-10) over Jets
Kansas City will enjoy the breather after facing the Seattle and Denver defenses on the road the past two weeks. This seems like the type of game in which the Chiefs could take out their frustrations on an opponent that does have some talent but has won only once since Week 1.
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Saints (-3) over Browns
The Browns are likely going with Shedeur Sanders at quarterback because Deshaun Watson was put in concussion protocol. It’s not like Watson was playing so well he’s irreplaceable, but Sanders has thrown only three passes all season. The Saints are well rested coming off a bye. The Saints are not a great team this season but this might be a spot for them to get right.
Rams (-5.5) over Commanders
Is it time to trust the Rams? They have covered two games in a row without a sweat. Those wins came against mediocre (Raiders) or bad (Chargers) teams, but they did handle business. And the Commanders are mediocre at best and maybe just bad. Let’s see if the Rams are truly back.
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Cowboys (-5.5) over Colts
It is incredibly hard to trust the Cowboys, especially as a road favorite. But what we saw from the Colts last week in a 42-7 loss was troubling. There was no fight left in that team, which has lost key players to trades and knows its season is done. This could be a bad mistake, trusting a defense that can’t stop anyone to cover almost a touchdown on the road. But taking the Colts at this point is even harder.
Texans (-4.5) over Chargers
It’s a lot for Houston to be favored by this much on the road, however, home-field advantage has been mostly eliminated this NFL season and the Chargers have no home-field advantage even if that was still a thing. Houston is coming off a bye and still has hopes to revive its season. The Texans still have a 34.4% chance to make the playoffs according to DVOA. The Chargers are 0.0% on that list. They’ll cover a spread at some point but it’s hard to anticipate it.
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Raiders (+10) over 49ers
The Raiders have four losses, and they came against four of the better teams in the NFL: Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, Rams. The bad news is this week they get the Super Bowl favorites. The 49ers should be getting many players back after their bye. But the Raiders can move the ball and they’re getting a lot of points.
Seahawks (-8.5) over Cardinals
WIth all the quarterback chaos this week, we get two teams that had a different quarterback in Week 8. Jacoby Brissett was benched and traded, and Gardner Minshew II takes over. Sam Darnold has a quad injury and he’ll be out, with Drew Lock taking over. Lock is a reasonable replacement, and Minshew isn’t facing the Cowboys defense this week.
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Packers (+3) over Patriots
The Patriots have a lot of injuries and the Packers have a few days of extra rest. In a game that seems evenly matched, the small edges add up. Green Bay started the season very slow but has looked much better over the last four games, winning three and barely losing at Detroit. New England has also emerged after an early-season slump to win four of five. This is a really fun matchup, and even enough to feel OK taking the points.
Vikings (+3.5) over Bills
This is an interesting game because the teams have opposite strengths. The Bills have a great offense and bad defense, and the Vikings have a bad offense and great defense. The Minnesota defense held the Bears to three points after all; Chicago has scored 30 points in every other Caleb WIlliams start. It will be a great test against Josh Allen, who is having another fantastic season. It’s never enjoyable to be going against Allen, but getting 3.5 points with a defense this good seems right. As long as the offense does at least a little bit.
Last week: 7-7
Season to date: 53-65-2
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
