Packers vs Bears betting - Green Bay tries to play spoiler in Chicago
Bet sports: Bears still in the NFC playoff hunt
- WHO: Green Bay packers at Chicago Bears (-4.5)
- WHAT: NFL football betting
- WHEN: Monday, December 22 at 8:30 p.m.
- WHERE: Soldier Field in Chicago, IL
- KEY STATS: Green Bay is 1-5 as an underdog this season; Chicago has won 10 of its last 15 games when favored by 3.5-9.5 points
- PICK: Bears
Oh, how the tables have turned. In September, most NFL betting fans would’ve expected the Packers to be in a playoff position going into this week’s Monday nighter. Instead, the Packers vs Bears odds favor the 8-6 Bears, who are way ahead of the disappointing 5-9 Packers. Chicago is riding high after beating Jacksonville and New Orleans, whereas Green Bay is in a freefall, having lost four straight and six of seven.
Some online sports betting fans remember the Packers’ 37-3 romp over the Bears in Week 11, but they should think twice when making their NFL Week 16 picks. Sure, Green Bay has the “spoiler role” motivator, but nothing motivates a team like a shot at the playoffs. The Bears, in the playoff mix and favored by 4.5 points, are the team to pick if you bet online this week.
At first glance, Green Bay presents a tough NFL betting matchup for Chicago at home. The Packers’ passing offense ranks ninth in the NFL (248.3 yards per game), while the Bears pass defense is 28th at an atrocious 233.6 yards allowed per game. While Aaron Rodgers will throw often and post some solid numbers, the offensive passing game will be all the Packers have going for them in the Packers vs Bears spread.
If Chicago can get to Rodgers at all, the game could get ugly quickly for the Packers. Green Bay’s rushing offense has been mediocre at best this year; now it faces a Bears team allowing just 88 yards per game on the ground at home – in the cold, windy night air of Chicago.
The true key to the Bears success in the Packers vs. Bears spread will be the Packers’ suspect defense. Sure, Kyle Orton can be an adventure behind center at times, but the Packers are 25th in the NFL with just 23 sacks. To put that in perspective, Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware has 19 on his own. Thus, Orton will have plenty of time to throw on the Packers…if he even needs to. Green Bay’s run defense has been its Achilles heel all season long, and there’s no reason to expect that trend to change. Matt Forte has come back to Earth of late, but a tasty matchup against Green Bay’s sieve- like front seven will remedy his slump.
STAN’S PICK: It’s only natural for NFL betting fans to look at Green Bay’s solid passing game and wonder if the Packers will carve up the Bears secondary and beat the Packers vs Bears odds. But the Bears have much more to play for, they’re at home and they’ll keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. Bet online on the Bears to triumph over the Packers and stay alive in the NFC playoff picture.
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Stan Simmons first tasted football through the college game, but his football handicapping has strictly focused on the professional sport. Not many people devote as much time to the NFL as Simmons. For six days a week he works, labors and handicaps the sport, and on the seventh he rests as the games play out. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
