Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
Monday, 11/7/11, 8:30 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Philadelphia -7
Current Betting Line: Philadelphia -8
Opening Total: 47
Current Total: 47
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Chicago is fighting for a Wild Card spot at this point with the Green Bay Packers being the only undefeated team in the league with an 8-0 record. The Bears will be coming off their bye week and picked up victories in their last two games, including a 24-18 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 1.5-point neutral-site favorites in London. After dropping the statistical battle in four consecutive games, Chicago has out-gained its last two opponents. Much of the preparation this week has been focused on stopping Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick, a player the team has beaten in all three games he has started against them. “We’ve sort of contained him,” commented Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. Chicago is 3-1 ATS on Monday Night Football, but dropped a 24-13 decision against the Detroit Lions earlier this year during the prime-time event.
The Bears are certainly led offensively by running back Matt Forte, coming in with an NFL-high 1,091 yards from scrimmage, including a 145-yard performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chicago will definitely come in with confidence knowing it has won three of the last four meetings, but each of those were decided by five points or less.
Philadelphia also comes in with a two-game win streak that includes a dominating 34-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys as three-point home favorites on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The Eagles moved their record to 13-0 under Andy Reid when coming off a bye and didn’t turn the ball over for the first time in 2011. “We still have a lot of work to do,” commented Vick this week in practice. “We’ve got game two next week. The start of our new season.” Philadelphia is 1-5 ATS versus NFC North opponents, while the ‘under’ is 4-2 in those contests.
The Eagles possess one of the stronger running games in the league, as LeSean McCoy is coming off a career-high performance. The former Pittsburgh Panthers’ star gained 185 yards and two touchdowns when carrying the ball 30 times against the Cowboys. Philadelphia knows it must block Chicago defensive end Julius Peppers to have success on the offensive end tonight, especially considering that Dallas pass rusher DeMarcus Ware finished with four sacks last week. Offensive tackle Jason Peters will need to rise to the occasion. On the defensive end, the new-look secondary will be aiming for a better showing against Bears signal-caller Jay Cutler, who threw for four touchdowns and a 146.2 passer rating in last year’s 31-26 win as three-point home underdogs.
Bettors will likely back the Eagles due to their 4-0 ATS mark on Monday Night Football, while the Bears are 7-20 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points.
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