The Commanders enter their Week 6 matchup with the Bears after having lost their last four straight while Chicago is hoping to even their record at .500 after this one is finished.
Let’s check out the NFL odds, break it all down, and keep cashing our NFL picks!
Washington Commanders vs. Chicago Bears
Thursday, October 13, 2022 – 08:15 PM EDT at Soldier Field
Commanders Couldn’t Handle the Titans
There was a lot of sharp action on the Commanders last week as the line plummeted from as high as Tennessee -3 to a pick’em at kickoff. But wise guys don’t always know better and sometimes the public comes out on top.
Such was the case last Sunday as the Titans claimed a 21-17 road victory and left the Commanders piloting a rudderless ship, sporting a 1-4 record and what appears to be another disappointing season.
How Did Wentz Do on Week 5?
Carson Wentz racked up 359 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns on a 65.8 completion percentage but had an interception in the process. The Washington offense was one-dimensional as they could not get their ground game out of neutral with Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson combining for a mere 28 yards on 12 carries. Wentz had 15 rushing yards of his own and fumbled three times but recovered them all.
Trailing by four points, Wentz engineered a 77-yard drive that chewed up over four and a half minutes until Wentz fired a ball intended for J.D. McKissic that was picked off by Titans’ linebacker David Long Jr. with only six seconds remaining in the contest.
Wentz said, “Guy (Long) made a heck of a play. I just tried to squeeze it in there to J.D. (McKissic). Heck of a play. That was an emotional roller coaster. I thought we had six points when it left my hand and then the result. That was unfortunate.”
Bears Vanquished by Vikings
Chicago opened the season with a 19-10 shocker over the 49ers at a rain-soaked Soldier Field that slowed both passing offenses. A few weeks later the Bears welcomed the Texans to the Windy City and handed them a 23-20 defeat as a parting gift. Those are the only two wins the Bears have this season and both came at home. The other three games were on the road and all of those were losses.
The most recent setback came last Sunday as the Bears hit the road to take on their NFC North rivals from Minnesota. Despite falling into a 21-3 hole the Bears did not pack it in but instead crawled back to score 19 unanswered points and take a 22-21 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
But a Kirk Cousins one-yard plunge into the end zone followed by a successful two-point conversion was the nail in the coffin that spelled a 29-22 Bears loss.
How Did Fields Do on Week 5?
Justin Fields had a modest 208 passing yards and one touchdown while running back David Montgomery also found the end zone but ended with only 20 yards on a dozen carries. Despite the loss, the young Chicago signal caller remained optimistic.
“I think we took a step forward, for sure,” Fields said. “A lot of teams in this league would have just laid down and stopped playing.”
Commanders vs. Bears: Game Prediction
The Bears may not be pretty but they are resilient and undefeated at home. We should take note that Chicago battled back from a 10-0 deficit to beat the 49ers and almost upset the Vikings after being down by 19 points.
It’s also important to consider that Minnesota has one of the best-receiving tandems in the league in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. What do the Commanders have that will strike fear into the hearts of the Chicago defensive secondary?
Terry McLaurin is a nice receiver but the problem is that the Bears have a decent passing defense, currently ranked ninth, allowing 197.3 yards per game. To be fair, the Bears’ passing attack is more like a mild affront. They are ranked dead last averaging just over 116 yards per game which is stunningly poor in this day and age of the pass-happy NFL.
However, I suspect the Bears will allow Justin Fields a bit more latitude in this game. As we all know, the former first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has excellent wheels and should be able to turn the edge on a mediocre Commanders’ linebacking corps.
Best Bets
The Titans defeated the Commanders last week despite putting up these pedestrian numbers: 181 passing yards and 105 rushing yards. Conversely, Carson Wentz passed for nearly 360 yards but had just one touchdown. I can envision a very similar outcome here as I believe the Bears are a grittier, more determined team and will have more incentive to continue their undefeated streak at home.
As of this Monday morning writing the best sportsbooks are dealing this one at anywhere from Bears -1 ½ to a pick’em. Look for a low-scoring affair and the Bears to win this one in what will likely be a snoozefest.
Predicted Score: Commanders 14 – Bears 19
NFL Pick: Bears PK (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
NFL Pick: Under 39 ½ (-110) at FanDuel
