Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons: Spread
 Free Pick: Chicago -3
I think it is safe to say at this point that the Bears are definitely one of the most underrated teams in the league. People are always giving them credit for having one of the league’s most intimidating defenses but not a very effective offense. The Bears made significant moves in the offseason, introducing a lot of new faces to their offense. The two biggest changes were at the quarterback and running back positions. Luvie Smith went back with Kyle Orton as starting quarterback and rookie Matt Forte as starting running back. His decision has paid immediate dividends. |
The bears ranked 27th in yards gained and 18th in points scored. This season they rank 12th and 9th in those respective categories. They are currently 3-2 are a 3 point favorite against the Atlanta Falcons who hold the same record. However, the Bears are the better team overall as they have a much stronger defense and special teams and have a lot more experience than Atlanta. The Bears defeated Indy, Philly and Detroit meanwhile Atlanta defeated Detroit, Kansas City and Green Bay. Chicago therefore has defeated much stronger opponents and only lost by 3 points in each of their 2 losses. Atlanta has played fantastic at home where they won both of their games and scored an average of 36 points per game but this was against weak opponents. Chicago’s defense will make life difficult for Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. The Bears rank 8th in yards allowed and 4th in rushing yards allowed. Atlanta’s defense is quite mediocre as they rank 23rd in total yards allowed. The bottom line is that Atlanta will have a relatively tough time generating offense against Chicago and also struggle at shutting the Bears down. Expect turnovers to be a key success factor for the Bears in this game. I have no doubt that Chicago will cover.
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