Chicago Bears vs Buffalo Bills Betting Preview
On Saturday afternoon, the Buffalo Bills head to Chicago to take on the Bears. Will Buffalo cover a 9-point spread on the road in terrible weather conditions? Sportsmemo NFL handicapper Eric Pauly shares his thoughts and gives three-player prop angles to take a look at for the game tonight.
Chicago Bears vs Buffalo Bills Week 16 Betting Odds
Saturday, December 24 | Week 16 NFL Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Chicago Bears +9 vs Buffalo Bills |
Total: | o/u 40.5 Points |
Location: | Soldier Field in Chicago, IL |
Game Time: | 1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
TV: | CBS |
Chicago Bears vs Buffalo Bills Betting Preview
Neither of these teams is a stranger to bad-weather football, and that is exactly what is expected this Sunday in Chicago. Temperatures can be as low as 5 degrees on Sunday with heavy wind. No wonder the total is 40.5 points.
The Bills have been winning, but they have not been dominating as they should. The Bears are playing for draft picks, but they still compete. Given the weather, this game may be closer than people realize.
Bills Bent But Not Broken
The Bills are currently in first place in the AFC East and are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but they have had issues the past few weeks. Yes, they are on a five-game winning streak, but just one of those wins was convincing, and this team has shown it still has flaws.
The Bills’ offense is not broken, but it is staggered in its success. They were able to rally off back-to-back-to-back scoring drives against Miami, but they also punted on every possession they had in the third quarter.
Josh Allen can make many things happen, but he is still not a polished QB. He makes throws that are jaw droppingly amazing, but he still makes plays that are questionable and lead to turnovers.
Still, this Bills team, on a per-drive basis, is 17th in time, 5th in plays, 2nd in yards, and 3rd in points. They can move the ball at will, but their lack of a true WR3 limits this offense at times. As long as they continue to win on third down, this is a hard team to get off of the field.
On defense, Buffalo’s inability to stop the Dolphins’ run game was a huge issue. Miami was one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL, yet they ran all over this Buffalo defense that is supposed to be great.
On a per-drive basis, Buffalo is 29th in time, 27th in plays, 17th in yards, and 8th in points. They play a bend-don’t-break style of defense which works as they are 2nd in the NFL in points against.
This team is amazing in the red zone, but they need to improve on third down to be a truly lockdown unit.
Fields Or Bust For Bears
The Bears have made it no secret that they do not care if they win football games this year. this is one of the worst rosters in football, but they play hard and do have some exciting young players.
On offense, this Bears team focuses on the ground game. Chicago is 1st in yards per carry, 1st in attempts, and 1st in yards on the ground.
However, Justin Fields cannot throw, and they are 27th in net yards per attempt, 32nd in passing yards, and 32nd in passing attempts. On a per-drive basis, they are 11th in time, 21st in plays, 18th in yards, and 12th in points.
This team is not inept, but their offensive line is weak, their weapons are limited, and Justin Fields is not a good passer. This team plays hard, but overall, their offense, while explosive, is not great.
Where the Bears struggle mightly is on defense. This is one of the worse defenses in the past decade or so.
Some of the season-long numbers are inflated from earlier in the season, but since they traded their best two defenders and some of their rookies got hurt, this unit has been abysmal.
On a per-drive basis, this team is 28th in time, 20th in plays, 28th in yards, and 29th in points. They are last in rushing TDs allowed and net yards per attempt by opposing QBs. They are last in third-down defense and 27th in red zone defense.
Chicago Bears vs Buffalo Bills Prediction
This is a tough game to handicap. The Buffalo Bills are much more talented than the Bears, but they are flawed, and the weather should be horrible. The Bears can keep the ball on the ground and actually find success against this Bills’ defense.
The Bills are either due to beat up on an opponent or for a major letdown. Given how this season has gone, I am going with the later. I expect Chicago to play hard and keep this game close or even just cover through the backdoor.
Prediction: Chicago Bears +9 -110
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NFL Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NFL point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the Week 16 games, including this Chicago Bears vs Buffalo Bills showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, and making a brilliant Cleveland Browns vs Los Angeles Chargers betting pick, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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