The Chicago Bears (-3) are flying south to face the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. The opening kickoff for this criticalgame is set for 1:00 p.m. ET and FOX is scheduled to have the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Miami Dolphins vs. Chicago Bears
Miami is the underdog in this game and is currently being given 3 points. The Bears are also receiving -150 moneyline odds while the Dolphins are +130. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 43.5 points. If Chicago gets behind early, it will probably result in a nice betting opportunity in-game.
The early action has been slanting in favor of the Bears. The line opened at 2, while the game’s O/U has yet to move after it was initially placed at 43.5.
Both of these teams have rewarded gamblers this year as the Bears have gained 2.0 units and the Dolphins are up 1.3 units.
The Bears are 3-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Dolphins are 3-2 SU.
Miami enters this contest on a zero-game winning streak while Chicago has lost zero straight. The Bears are coming off a resounding 48-10 victory over Tampa Bay on September 30. The passing game was on point as Mitchell Trubisky completed 19 passes on 26 attempts for 354 yards and six touchdowns. Tarik Cohen (53 rushing yards on 13 attempts) and Jordan Howard (25 yards on 11 carries) mounted the ground attack while Cohen (seven receptions, 121 yards, one TD) and Taylor Gabriel (seven catches, 104 yards, two TDs) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Miami just lost a 27-17 game to Cincinnati in Week 5. The defense allowed the Bengals to run for 103 yards on 26 rush attempts. Joe Mixon put up a good showing in the win for Cincinnati, recording 93 rushing yards on 22 attempts, along with 22 yards on three catches. For Miami, Ryan Tannehill completed 20-of-35 passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Frank Gore (63 yards on 12 rush attempts) handled the running game as Drake (seven receptions, 69 yards, one TD) and Albert Wilson (five catches, 43 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Each of these teams sports a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Chicago’s run the ball on 47.2 percent of its offensive possessions while Miami has an overall rush percentage of 45.8. The Bears have rushed for 121.5 yards per game and have two touchdowns on the ground this year. The Dolphins are totaling 96.0 rush yards per game and have only one rushing TD.
If 2018 results are any indication, then it appears the Bears ought to have the edge when it comes to quarterback protection, since their offensive line has given up just 39 sacks while their D-line logged 42 sacks. The Dolphins, on the other hand, have given up 33 sacks and their defense has created only 30 sacks.
The Bears offense has averaged 236.3 yards in the air overall and has eight passing TDs so far. The Dolphins have produced 211.8 pass yards per contest and have 10 total pass score.
Defensively, Chicago appears to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 64.0 yards and pass for 257.8 yards per game. The Miami D has given up 284.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 109.0 yards per game on the ground. The Bears are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.66 to opponents, while the Dolphins have allowed a 5.43 ANY/A.
Trubisky likely has the advantage over Tannehill in this one, as his adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 7.39for the year and 9.43 over the last two outings. Tannehill’s ANY/A is 6.55 for the year and 2.25 over his past two games.
Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins NFL Pick
SU Winner: Bears, ATS Winner: Dolphins, O/U: Over
Betting Trends
- The Chicago defense has 18 sacks on the year while Miami has just eight.
- Miami has lost four fumbles in 2018 while Chicago has lost two.
- The Bears offense has created one pass play of 40 or more yards, while the Dolphins have accounted for three such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed four pass plays of 40+ yards. The Chicago defense has given up nine pass plays of 30+ yards while Miami has given up six such plays.
- The Chicago offense has created three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Miami has created four such runs.
- The Bears defense has allowed zero rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Dolphins have given up four such runs.
- As a team, Chicago has produced 3.89887640449438 yards per carry over its past three games and 4.2 over its last two.
- Miami has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.6 over its last two.
