The Chicago Bears (-3.5) are traveling west to battle the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. This late afternoon game is scheduled to kick off at 4:05 p.m. ET and FOX has the TV rights.
Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview
San Francisco is getting picked to play the role of underdog and is currently getting 3.5 points in this Sunday NFC game. The Bears are also receiving -160 moneyline odds while the 49ers are +140. Some decent live betting opportunities could present themselves during this matchup, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 43 points.
Sharp bettors are siding with both the Niners and the under. The game’s opening line was initially 5 while the over/under was placed originally at 44.
The Bears are 10-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 4.0 units this season. The team has posted an Over-Under record of 8-6. The underwhelming 49ers have lost 6.7 units this year. They’re 5-9 ATS and the over has hit in eight of their games.
The Bears are 10-4 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the 49ers are 4-10 SU.
Both teams come into this contest on two-game undefeated streaks. The Bears got their second W in as many tries after a 24-17 win over Green Bay last week. Mitchell Trubisky completed 20-of-28 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Howard (only 60 yards on 19 rush attempts, one TD) led the ground attack in the win while Cohen (five receptions, 31 yards, one TD) and Trey Burton (four catches, 36 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties.
The San Francisco Niners just earned a 26-23 win over Seattle a week ago. The defensive unit allowed the Seahawks to run for 168 yards on 35 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Chris Carson was a bright spot in the defeat, recording 119 rushing yards and a score on 22 attempts for Seattle. For San Francisco, Nick Mullens completed 20-of-29 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown. Matt Breida (50 yards on 17 rush attempts) mounted the ground game in the win while Dante Pettis (five receptions, 83 yards) and Breida (five catches, 46 yards) led the receiving corps.
Breaking down the offensive play-calling, each squad has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Chicago’s run the ball on 46.9 percent of its offensive possessions while San Francisco has an overall rush percentage of 45.6. The Bears have run for 120 yards per game and have 12 scores via handoffs this year. The Niners are averaging 123 rush yards per game and have six total rushing TDs.
If the numbers so far this season can translate to this game, then the Bears might be the more disruptive team in the trenches. Their offensive line has given up only 39 sacks while the D-line registered 42 sacks. The 49ers, on the other hand, have allowed 43 sacks and their defense has generated only 30 sacks.
The Bears offense has averaged 238 yards in the air overall and has 27 passing TDs so far. The Niners have put up 266 pass yards per outing and have 23 total pass scores.
Defensively, Chicago has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 84 yards and pass for 249 yards per game. The San Francisco defense has allowed 249.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 112.1 yards per game to opposing runners. The Bears are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.13 to opposing QBs, while the Niners have given up a 7.31 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Trubisky is up to 2,704 yards on the year, and has completed 66 percent of his 349 attempts with 22 passing scores and nine interceptions. He’s got a 7.09 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 4.28 over the last two outings.
Nick Mullens has connected on 111-of-170 passes for 1,422 yards, eight TDs and five INTs for San Francisco. His ANY/A sits at 7.13 for the year and 8.49 over his last two games.
When these two franchises faced each other a year ago, San Francisco got the victory 15-14.
RELATED: Week 16 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Betting Pick: Bears vs. 49ers
SU Winner – 49ers, ATS Winner – 49ers, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The O/U for Chicago’s last game going into it was 46. The under cashed in the team’s 24-17 victory over Green Bay.
Chicago has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.5 over its last two.
San Francisco has averaged 3.1 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.2 over its past two.
San Francisco has lost 11 fumbles this season while Chicago has lost eight.
In its last three games, Chicago is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Chicago has won eight of its last nine games SU, with a December 2nd defeat to New York accounting for the only loss over that span.
The Over/Under for San Francisco’s previous match was set at 44. The over cashed in the team’s 26-23 victory over Seattle.
In its last three games, San Francisco is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Bears offense has recorded nine pass plays of 40+ yards, while the 49ers have accounted for 11 such plays.
The Chicago defense has allowed nine pass plays of 40 yards or more, while San Francisco has given up eight such plays.
The Chicago offense has created 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while San Francisco has created 13 such runs.
The Bears defense has allowed six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the 49ers have given up 11 such runs.
The Chicago defensive unit has 45 sacks on the year while San Francisco has just 34.
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