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Ryan Stetson.
Chargers vs. Bears Point Spread: NFL Predictions, Week 8 Odds
At the beginning of the year, the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers were in the conversation of potential Super Bowl contenders. That seems like eons ago now. The Chargers head into this Week 8 matchup in last place in the AFC West at 2-5, while the Bears have dropped two straight to sit at 3-3.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Neither of these teams have been good bets so far, with the Chargers at 1-4-2 against the spread (ATS) and the Bears at 2-4 ATS. Oddsmakers opened this line with Chicago set as a 5.5-point favourite, but it moved to Bears -4 within two days and has sat there since. The action on the spread is basically split, while more than 70 percent of bets expect this one to finish above the 41-point total.
Los Angeles Chargers
When Melvin Gordon ended his holdout, everyone expected that he would slide in with Austin Ekeler to be a force coming out of the backfield. So much for that idea. Gordon looks exactly like a player who skipped training camp and the first four games of the season – 36 rushes for only 81 yards with no touchdowns. In the last three losses, the Chargers as a team have rushed for 35, 32, and 39 total yards, and now sit 27th overall in rushing yards per game. They aren’t much better at defending the run either, allowing more than 117 yards per contest, so unless they can sort out their ground game issues on both sides of the ball, it could be a long day against the Bears.
Chicago Bears
Matt Nagy was like a little kid who found a long-lost toy at the back of the closet last week when his starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky returned from injury, calling one pass play after another in an ugly loss to the New Orleans Saints. It just wasn’t happening. Trubisky connected on 34 of 54 passing attempts with two touchdowns on the day, but those numbers are very misleading as they picked up garbage yards long after this game was decided late in the second half.
What makes all this even more concerning for Bears supporters is the fact that the running game hasn’t been much better. Chicago has one rushing first down in the last two games and only averages 70 yards per game on the ground. This club’s defence can cover for a lot of issues, but time is running out on the offence. So who do you like? Picking this game is like picking between burnt toast and soggy waffles.
LAC
CHI