Great Scott! Is it 1985? Or has the future truly arrived for the Chicago Bears?
If you’ve been watching Caleb Williams and the NFC North leaders, it’s clear the Bears have emerged as serious Super Bowl contenders with a chance to bring Chicago its first championship since the franchise’s storied run 41 years ago.
Williams tore up the Seahawks’ elite passing defense Monday, becoming the first quarterback to throw for over 200 yards against them this season.
D’Andre Swift was unstoppable in the red zone, pounding in three scores.
Jeffery Simmons arrived to show flashes of the Monsters of Midway in his debut, racking up six tackles, two for loss and a pair of sacks.
Chicago’s Super Bowl odds shot up to +650 entering Week 9, and they’ll take to Soldier Field on Sunday night as 6.5-point favorites against the Buccaneers.
Buccaneers vs. Bears prediction, best bet
The Buccaneers made headlines themselves last week when they bizarrely became the first team in 52 years to win without completing a single pass.
Its run game has detonated, posting a franchise-record of 324 yards last week.
Both Bucky Irving, who has rushed for 100 yards in all three of Tampa Bay’s victories, and Kenneth Gainwell rank within the NFL’s top 10 rushers in yards per carry (tied at 5.0).
As for the offensive line, it has improved to allow just seven over its last four games (down from 20 over its first four), which offers some confidence against Simmons.
The defense has come together to allow 19 total points over the last two games. Tampa Bay leads the NFL with 16 total takeaways and 12 interceptions, boasting the league’s best interception rate per opponent pass attempt (4.44 percent).
Williams must contend with a pass defense that’s allowed only a 74.9 rating to quarterbacks against them and just 205.9 yards per game.
Betting on the NFL?
Chicago leans heavily on the run with Swift, who leads the league in rushing scores. The Bucs’ front seven has been merciless in stopping the run, holding opponents to an NFL-low two rushing touchdowns and ranking second overall in yards allowed per game at 80.0.
A few embarrassing early losses wiped Tampa Bay off everyone’s radar, but the Buccaneers are analytically better than their season has suggested—enough to pace with the boomin’ Bears.
THE PLAY: Buccaneers +6.5 (-108, BetMGM)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
