Chicago Bears vs. Atlanta Falcons 2020: Prediction Against The Spread, Betting Odds
The Chicago Bears are perfect through two games in the 2020 NFL season, but you might not know it by looking at the Week 3 betting odds. Mitchell Trubisky and Co. are underdogs in their matchup with the winless Atlanta Falcons Sunday afternoon.
The Falcons are favored by 3.5 points over the visiting Bears, according to betting lines compiled by OddsShark. The over/under is 47.5
Chicago has narrowly defeated a pair of teams that are mediocre, at best. The Bears came back from a 23-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Detroit Lions in Week 1, though they would have lost if Lions running back D’Andre Swift held onto a would-be touchdown pass in the final seconds. Chicago held off the New York Giants 17-13 in a game that New York nearly stole without its two best offensive weapons.
Atlanta has faced maybe the most difficult schedule of anyone in the NFC. The Falcons were beaten rather handily by the Seattle Seahawks in the opener. The Dallas Cowboys beat Atlanta 40-39 in one of the most improbable comebacks the league has seen in recent years.
That’s not to say the Falcons have purely been victims of bad luck. Atlanta couldn’t take advantage of three Dallas fumbles and a pair of botched fake punts. Their defense has been abysmal, ranking dead last in points allowed and 31st in both total defense and opponents' yards per play.
Trubisky, of course, is no Russell Wilson or Dak Prescott. The Falcons’ defense might have a respectable effort against a struggling Chicago offense.
Atlanta doesn’t have an exceptional defense, but neither does New York or Detroit. The Bears rank 23rd in total offense and 26th in yards per play after facing those teams. Chicago would be even closer to the bottom of the league had it not been for that fourth quarter against the Lions.
Dating back to last season, the Bears have been held to 21 points or fewer in four of their last five games. The Falcons are scoring 30.8 points per game in their last six contests. Atlanta is fourth in total yards and fifth in points scored.
Even against a formidable Chicago defense, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense could find enough success to snag their first win of the year.
Prediction: Atlanta over Chicago, 24-17
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