Bears vs. Lions Point Spread: NFL Week 15 Odds, Prediction
Late every year after the college football regular season has concluded, the NFL schedules a couple of games on Saturdays for a few weeks. That begins in Week 15 and the first of two games on the day’s schedule is a matchup between the Bears and Lions.
Point Spread and Betting Analysis
No one likes a push in sports betting. Not the player and not the book. It’s why bettors should always buy a half-point in whichever direction if an NFL game closes on the magic number of 3 or 7.
As an example, in Week 11 the Bears were 3-point home underdogs against the Lions and it did push with Detroit winning 27-24. Matt Prater, maybe the most clutch kicker in the NFL right now, hit a 52-yard field goal with 1:35 remaining. Matthew Stafford threw for 299 yards and two scores. After Prater’s kick, Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky drove his team from its own 17 to the Detroit 28 with eight seconds left. But, in typical Bears fashion these days, Connor Barth wasn’t close on the 46-yard field goal. That was Barth’s last attempt in a Bears uniform as he was released.
The Bears nearly pulled an upset in Detroit in Week 14 last year, but Stafford scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard run with 3:17 to go in a 20-17 victory. That win was very costly, however, as Stafford injured the middle finger on his throwing hand and wasn’t the same quarterback the rest of the season; Detroit, which had been in control of the NFC North, lost its final four games including the wild-card matchup in Seattle.
The Bears are 4-1-1 against the spread in the past six meetings.
Chicago Bears
The Bears (4-9 SU, 6-6-1 ATS) ended a five-game losing streak with a 33-7 blowout win in Cincinnati on Sunday – you could almost see that coming in regards to the Bengals as they played an emotionally and physically debilitating game the previous Monday night against arch-rival Pittsburgh. Trubisky had the best game of his young career for Chicago, throwing for 271 yards and a touchdown while rushing for a score. Jordan Howard carried 23 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ most lopsided win in five years. Another rookie, safety Eddie Jackson had an interception and forced fumble and fumble recovery. That temporarily takes the heat off Coach John Fox, but he’s expected to be fired after the season.
Detroit Lions
Detroit (7-6 SU, 6-6-1 ATS) kept its wild-card hopes alive and ended a two-game skid with a 24-21 victory at Tampa Bay. Stafford was in question with an injury to his throwing hand but played and looked terrific, throwing for 381 yards and a touchdown, although he was picked off twice. Prater kicked the winning field goal from 46 yards out with 20 seconds to go – the Lions had blown a 21-7 lead. Theo Riddick rushed for two touchdowns. How’s this for a statistic? Golden Tate caught his first outdoor touchdown with the Lions in the USA. Tate has been with the team since 2014 and has 18 receiving scores but they always had either come in a dome (Detroit plays in one at home) or in London. Realistically, the Lions have to win out to have any playoff shot and even then it’s no sure thing.
