The Chicago Bears (-4.5) are set to face off against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to FOX.
Betting Preview: New York Giants vs. Chicago Bears
New York is getting picked as the underdog and is currently getting 4.5 points in this Sunday NFC game. The Bears are also receiving -180 moneyline odds while the Giants are +160. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 45 points. If Chicago falls down early, it will likely create a reasonable in-game betting scenario.
This game’s over/under hasn’t moved after being set initially at 45. Having said that, the opening line was 3.5 so square bettors have been hammering the Bears.
The profitable Bears have gained 3.2 units so far and are 8-3 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 7-4.
The Giants are down 3.5 units this season. The team is 5-5-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 5-6.
The Bears are 8-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Giants are 3-8 SU.
The Bears hope to keep it going after a 23-16 victory over Detroit in Week 12Their defense allowed the Lions to run for 111 yards on 24 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. LeGarrette Blount had a productive day for the Lions in that one with 88 rushing yards and both touchdowns on 19 attempts. On the offensive side of the ball, Chase Daniel completed 27 passes on 37 attempts for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Howard (13 rushing yards on seven attempts) led the running attack in the win. Tarik Cohen (seven receptions, 45 yards, one TD) and Taylor Gabriel (seven catches, 49 yards) shared the receiving duties.
New York narrowly dropped a 25-22 game to Philadelphia last week. The team’s defense allowed the Eagles to kill the clock by rushing for 127 yards on 29 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Zach Ertz put up a solid showing for Philadelphia, posting 91 yards on seven catches. For New York, Eli Manning completed 26-of-37 passes for 297 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Saquon Barkley logged an outstanding statline in the loss. Along with 101 rushing yards on 13 attempts (and one TD), Barkley also reeled in seven catches for 41 yards and a score.
Chicago has run the ball on 46.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while New York has an overall rush percentage of 35.5 percent. The Bears have produced 115.2 rush yards per game and have 10 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The G-Men are logging 91.7 rush yards per game and have eight total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then it’s looking like the Bears could hold an edge when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line has allowed only 39 sacks while the D-line logged 42 sacks. The Giants, on the other hand, have allowed 34 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 27 times.
The Bears offensive scheme has logged 246.1 yards/contest in the air overall and has 22 passing scores so far. The G-Men have put up 286.4 pass yards per outing and have 15 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Chicago has allowed 80.8 rush yards and 254.6 pass yards per game. The New York defense has allowed 261.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 125.5 yards per game on the ground. The Bears are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.55 to opposing QBs, while the G-Men have given up a 6.70 ANY/A.
Offensively, Daniel has put up 230 passing yards on the year, and has completed 73 percent of his 37 attempts with two scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Daniel’s got a 6.29 adjusted net yards per pass attempt.
The Bears will probably try to control tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. In addition to receiver Taylor Gabriel (475 receiving yards and two touchdowns), Tarik Cohen (258 rush yards, two rush TDs, 480 receiving yards, four receiving TDs) and Jordan Howard (473 rush yards, five rush TDs) have been focal points in the offensive scheme for Chicago.
For the home team, Eli Manning has completed 260-of-383 passes for 2,862 yards, 12 TDs and seven INTs. Manning’s ANY/A stands at 6.06 for the year and 7.98 over his past two games.
The G-Men should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Saquon Barkley (571 receiving yards, three receiving TDs), Odell Beckham Jr. (eight rush yards, 943 receiving yards, four receiving TDs) and Rhett Ellison (200 receiving yards and one TD) have seen a multitude of touches lately.
Chicago Bears at New York Giants NFL Pick
SU Winner: Giants, ATS Winner: Giants, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Bears offense has produced eight pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Giants have put up nine such plays.
- The Chicago defense has allowed eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while New York has given up four such plays.
- The Chicago offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while New York has created 11 such runs.
- The Bears defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Giants have given up seven such runs.
- The Chicago defensive unit has sacked opposing QBs 34 times this season. New York has produced just 14 sacks.
- As a team, Chicago has averaged 3.2 yards per carry across its past three outings and 3.4 over its last two.
- New York has averaged 5.4 yards per carry over its last three contests and 5.9 over its last two.
- Over its last three games, New York is 2-0-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Chicago’s last game was set at 43. The under cashed in the team’s 23-16 win over Detroit.
- Over its last three games, Chicago is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for New York’s last matchup was 49. The under cashed in the 25-22 defeat to Philadelphia.
