The Chicago bears have scored at least 29 points in four consecutive games. Their record in those games? 1-3. The stretch started with a 33-14 demolition of the New England Patriots in Foxboro on Monday Night Football, as quarterback Justin Fields finally found the mix of running and passing to turn the Bears’ offense into a point-producing machine. However, the defense has fallen off the table. The Bears then went to Dallas and lost, 49-29. They lost to Miami, 35-32, despite Fields setting the regular-season rushing mark for a quarterback. They lost to Detroit, 31-30. Next up is a trip to Atlanta, where the Falcons are an offensively challenged team that has dropped three of four, including a 10-point loss in Carolina to the woeful Panthers last week. Can the Bears finally ride Fields to another victory? Don’t miss our NFL betting prediction of this showdown between teams on the NFC’s rebuild curve.
NFL Preview: Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
(Sunday, November 20)
When: Sunday, November 20, 2022, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: FOX
Radio: WBBM 780 AM Chicago / WZGC 92.9 FM Atlanta
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: Atlanta -3 / O/U 49.5 // Chicago +143 / Atlanta -170
Why should you bet on the Bears?
Fields could be the next great quarterback in the NFL. He was 12 of 20 against Detroit last week for 167 yards and two passing touchdowns. He ran the ball 13 times (a team high) for 147 yards and two more touchdowns. However, it was a key pick-six that gave the Lions a crucial edge. He looks like a stronger, bigger Michael Vick. However, Fields cannot win games all by himself.
What about that defense, you say? The team traded away its two best players on that side of the ball, Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith, for draft picks, which is to say that the Bears are setting the table for a quality future, but this year looks challenging. The average point total for Chicago the last three games has been 68.67. The Falcons only score 23.2 points per game, and quarterback Marcus Mariota did not play well in Week 10. Will this be the week we finally see Desmond Ridder? Either way, the Bears have to stop beating themselves on defense.
Why should you put your money on the Falcons?
Atlanta comes in with extra rest after having played the Carolina Panthers last Thursday, and they certainly have had the time to figure things out after the frustration of scoring just 15 points on a rainy night. Mariota went 19 of 30 for 186 yards and two touchdowns, but he also took five sacks and threw an interception. Two of those sacks came on the Falcons’ last drive, as they were trying to rally from what was then a 22-15 deficit. The Falcons also ran for just 138 yards on the night, despite being the fourth-most prolific running attack in the league.
The Falcons’ defense also gave up some big plays, such as a second-quarter touchdown pass to Laviska Shenault. He caught a swing pass and ran down the sideline, jetting by five Atlanta defenders, two of whom ran into each other. Officially a run (because the pass was backwards), that 41-yard play gave the Panthers momentum. D’Onta Foreman ran the ball 31 for 130 yards and a score, giving him three straight 100-yard games since the team shipped Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco. The Falcons’ defense will need to be better against a Chicago offense that seems to have found its franchise quarterback.
Final Score and Prediction
I expect this game to turn into a track meet, because both teams have speedy quarterbacks who can make big plays with their arms and their feet, and both defenses struggle spectacularly at times. I predict a final score of Chicago 34, Atlanta 30.
NFL Betting Odds
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