Bears vs. Commanders Point Spread: NFL Week 6 MNF Odds, Prediction
The second game of the staggered-start Monday Night Football doubleheader in Week 6 has a really intriguing quarterback storyline as Caleb Williams and the Bears visit Jayden Daniels of the Commanders with Washington at -4.5 on the NFL odds and a total of 50.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Any time quarterbacks are chosen 1-2 atop an NFL Draft, they are going to be compared for the entirety of their professional careers. Maybe the most glaring example of a difference of opinion by scouts between two quarterbacks atop a draft in fairly recent history was in 1998. Some scouts loved Tennessee’s Peyton Manning and others were enamoured with Washington State’s Ryan Leaf entering that draft. Manning went No. 1 to the Colts and became an all-time great. Leaf went No. 2 to the Chargers and became an all-time bust.
Generally speaking, most scouts favoured USC’s Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, as the top QB prospect entering the 2024 draft and LSU’s Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman winner, as the No. 2 guy. And that’s the order in which they were chosen by Chicago and Washington. While Williams had his moments as a rookie, he was uneven and his team struggled badly. Daniels had one of the great rookie seasons for a QB in history in leading Washington to the NFC title game.
Daniels also beat Williams and the Bears, 18-15, on a 52-yard Hail Mary TD pass in Maryland in Week 8 last season, which propelled Daniels to Offensive Rookie of the Year honours. The Bears completely collapsed after that loss. Washington is 7-2 ATS in the past nine meetings.
Chicago Bears
Chicago comes out of its bye week on a two-game winning streak with QB Caleb Williams looking more and more comfortable in the new offence under first-year head coach Ben Johnson by the game. After throwing three TDs with six sacks taken in losing the first two games, Williams has five TDs and one sack taken in the past two. The former No. 1 overall pick tends to hold the ball too long so when he’s not sacked, that’s a huge positive for Chicago. That sounds obvious, but truly so with Williams.
The running game has been a problem on both sides of the ball with the Bears averaging just 102.3 offensively while giving up an NFC-worst 164.5 YPG on the ground. While the Bears’ bye came too early, the team was really banged up with key defenders in tackle Grady Jarrett, linebacker TJ Edwards and cornerback Kyle Gordon all missing Week 4 – Gordon hasn’t played yet this season. Also out were right tackle Darnell Wright and rookie first-round tight end Colston Loveland. All are looking good to play this week. Chicago is 2-10 SU in its past 12 road games.
Washington Commanders
Chicago’s struggling rush defence could be in for a long game Monday as the Commanders lead the NFL in rushing at 156.4 yards per game. A big part of that is dual-threat QB Jayden Daniels, who returned from a two-game injury absence on Sunday at the Chargers. The Commanders were 1-1 without Daniels and upset the Bolts, 27-10 with him. He threw for 231 yards and a score while rushing for 39 yards. He became the first player in NFL history to reach 4,000 career passing and 1,000 rushing yards in his first 20 games. Daniels improved to 14-6 in his young career, and it marked his third double-digit comeback win already, tied for the second most by a Washington QB this century.
One of the most surprising rookies in the league so far has been Washington seventh-round running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He carried 14 times for 111 yards and two scores and already is clearly the featured back (in part due to injuries. No. 1 wideout Terry McLaurin, who got a big extension on the eve of the season, has missed the past two hurt. The Commanders are 5-0 ATS in their past five at home.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Bears vs. Commanders?
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CHI
WAS