Chicago is easily the shakiest 2-0 team of the 11 in the NFL to start the year perfect but are they getting disrespected in week 3 Bears at Falcons betting. If you think Matt Nagy’s team has issues, Atlanta is an hour-long special on Dr. Phil. The 0-2 Falcons are nonetheless -2.5 favorites ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
The momentum of Chicago starting the season with two tough wins is one thing, but Atlanta is also very banged up headlined by Julio Jones being listed out with a hamstring injury. A whopping 75% of the betting public still likes the Falcons however.
Bears a Fluke?
Most teams’ fan bases would kill to be 2-0 to start the year, especially with all the uncertainty of this season. For Chicago though, it seems like there are more questions than answers after a 27-23 win at Detroit in the opener as +2.5 underdogs and a 17-13 win over the Giants as -4.5 favorites last week.
For four quarters, the Bears have still looked like a playoff team. The thing is, those four quarters came in two different games. Chicago outscored Detroit 21-0 in the season opener to get the comeback win and dominated New York 17-0 in the first half last week before letting the Giants sneak back into the contest late. Even so, 2-0 is 2-0.
The big question heading into Sunday’s game is exactly how bad the Atlanta defense is? The Falcons have allowed 78 points this season, but against two red-hot QBs in Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott. Chicago’s Mitch Trubisky has shown flashes this season, throwing for 3 TDs against the Lions and two vs. New York. Atlanta’s defense looks at this meeting as a ‘get right’ game – but so does the Bears offense.
Falcons Too Banged Up to Stay Competitive?
It’s very telling that Atlanta rookie corner A.J. Terrell out Sunday as the first NFL player to be sent to the COVID list isn’t even the top injury headline for the Falcons. Julio Jones had a 9 catch, 157 yard opener vs. Seattle, but will be out Sunday with a hamstring injury. The Falcons are also missing S Ricardo Allen (elbow) and Kendall Sheffield (foot).
Atlanta has to be a mental mess heading into Bears at Falcons betting not only with injuries, but also because they were the talk of the league after blowing a 29-10 halftime lead vs. Dallas last week. That loss was headlined by the ‘watermelon’ onside kick that Atlanta players failed to recover, leading to a lot of media distractions during the week.
Even with all the outside noise, there are reasons to like Atlanta on Sunday. Chicago’s defense has looked so-so in ranking 20th in the league against the pass while Matt Ryan has led the Falcons to the #2 passing offense in the league. Atlanta’s offense is really one-dimensional though, as Todd Gurley has just 117 yards rushing in two games.
Bears at Falcons Betting Free Pick
With all the injuries and the mental distractions Atlanta has had to face after blowing last week’s game against Dallas, this is Chicago’s game to win. If the Falcons do pull this one out, it will be more about the Bears losing than Atlanta winning.
Bears 28 – Falcons 24
Free Pick: Chicago Bears ML +120
