Chicago Bears – Miami Dolphins
The Chicago Bears will be visiting the Miami Dolphins tonight as a 1.5 underdog. If you are new to the betting world that means that if you pick the Bears to win they will have to win or not lose by more than one point for you to win your bet.
And, of course, betting on Miami they would have to win by at least two points for you to win.
Oddsmakers are calling this game pretty closely. The reason for this is that these two teams are very good defensive teams. The Miami Dolphins are ranked the NFL’s eighth best defensive team and the Chicago Bears are ranked the NFL’s fourth best defensive team. That is why the over/under line is at 39 and I am sort of feeling that it will come in under that.
The strength of the Dolphin’s offense is their running game. Their starting quarterback and back-up quarterback are out and their third string quarterback, Tyler Thigpen, stepped in to close out, in their last game, against the Tennessee Titans. Thigpen played pretty well to close out the game against the Titans, completing four of six passes, but playing against the Bears might be another story.
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Strong Defense
The Bears defense is solid. Not only is their defense the fourth best in the NFL this year but they also have fourteen interceptions to lead the NFL in that category as well. This year, with the exception of their game against the New York Giants, they are only allowing an average of sixty nine rushing yards against them per game.
This might make it a very long day for the Dolphins. There is one team in the NFL that can beat the Chicago Bears whenever they want to. That team is the Chicago Bears. The Bears have turned the ball over nineteen times this year, so far, and that is the fifth most in the NFL. Playing against the good Dolphin defense will be a challenge for them.
The Lines
The line on this game seems to vary slightly at different sportsbooks between Chicago +1. to Chicago +1.5. Check into your sportsbook throughout the day to see if there is any more movement in the spread. Betting on this game is all based upon which team Chicago brings to Miami. If they can play a solid game and limit their turnovers they are going to be the team to pick.
Thigpen
Being a Thursday night game this is a short week for both teams. The Dolphins played at home last week so they have not been traveling while the Bears were on the road and now have to take a long flight down to Florida for the Thursday night game. I am thinking that Thigpen will come out in this game with some confidence.
After all he had a good showing in his last outing and he does not have to worry about being benched because the other quarterbacks are both hurt. Nothing to lose and a chance to redeem himself might just be a pretty good combination.
My Pick
I take Miami -1.5 to cover the spread.