Bears Blitz

Published by OddsShark.com on November 4, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears (2-5) will attempt to stay unbeaten against the AFC West this year when they visit the San Diego Chargers (2-6) in the Week 9 Monday night matchup.

The only two wins for the Bears this season have come against the Oakland Raiders at home and the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, and they were underdogs in both games. Chicago head coach John Fox was with the four-time defending AFC West champion Denver Broncos for four seasons prior to this year.

Point spread: The Chargers opened as 3.5-point favorites; the total was 52 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 28.0-16.2 Chargers

Why the Bears can cover the spread

Fox obviously knows the AFC West teams well from his time in Denver, and that was evident when the Bears upset both the Raiders and Chiefs as dogs. When Fox coached the Broncos, they won seven of the last eight meetings with the Chargers and went 5-3 against the spread. Chicago obviously does not have nearly the same personnel as Denver, but offensive coordinator Adam Gase was also with Fox there.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler also has some history against San Diego from his time with the Broncos, although that was a long time ago. Cutler had a personal rivalry with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and should be extra motivated to beat him on Monday night.

Why the Chargers can cover the spread

San Diego has lost four straight games, but all of them have been decided by eight points or less, and they have gone 2-2 ATS during this stretch. Surprisingly, the only game that was out of reach came against the Oakland Raiders, as the Chargers trailed 37-6 at the end of the third quarter before outscoring them 23-0 in the fourth.

Rivers has kept his team in most games outside of the Oakland debacle, including a 27-20 road loss to the Green Bay Packers when he threw for a career-high 503 yards. San Diego nearly beat the Baltimore Ravens on the road for the second year in a row last week, too, but lost 29-26 on a field goal as time expired. Still, the Chargers covered.

Smart pick

San Diego has failed to cover the spread in its last three home games, losing the last two. With the team possibly on the move, there is not much of a home-field advantage there, giving opponents the opportunity to steal a road win.

Chicago will benefit from Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen being out. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the second-year pass-catcher suffered a lacerated kidney and has been placed on injured reserve. The Bears will also get some insight from Eddie Royal, who played alongside Allen last year. Fox will stay perfect against the AFC West as Cutler outperforms Rivers in another upset victory here.

Betting trends

The Chargers are 0-5 ATS in their last five games after an ATS win.

The Bears are 4-0 straight up and ATS in their last four games against the Chargers in November.

The Chargers are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games as favorites.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, and all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.

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