Can the Falcons keep up the pressure on the Bucs?
Atlanta still has a shot at the NFL playoffs despite a negative record of 4-6. That’s because the NFC South has been very weak so far. Even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have just one more win under their belt and lead the division.
The Falcons are therefore favoured in the game against the Chicago Bears, especially as the visitors have hardly any realistic chances of making the play-offs. Nevertheless, the team is not to be underestimated, especially if quarterback Justin Fields really turns it up.
The Bears have only one win less on their record than Atlanta, but are without a chance in their division. In the NFC North, Chicago is in last place and five wins behind the league leader from Minnesota. The Vikings have also played one game less and are therefore almost impossible to catch up with.
This would leave Matt Eberflus’ team needing to win at least five of their remaining eight games. With opponents like Philadelphia, Buffalo, New York and Minnesota, however, that is very unlikely.
The Chicago Bears quarterback plays more like a running back, which is why he ranks seventh in rushing yards. In addition, the young star scored six rushing touchdowns and five of them in the past four games. Therefore, the betting between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears is on another Justin Fields touchdown. Especially since the offence has been in top form in the last few games and the host’s defence is not particularly strong.
Atlanta Falcons – Statistics & current form
The Atlanta Falcons are currently in ninth place in the Northern Football Conference. In the first ten games, there were only four wins and that despite the fact that Arthur Smith’s team has had a fairly easy schedule so far. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks have been the only opponents currently in a playoff spot. Nevertheless, the opponents seem to be beatable in the coming weeks as well, because apart from the game against Baltimore, the Falcons are not without a chance.
Run, run and run some more
The home team is averaging 23.2 points per game and finds itself in the upper-middle of the NFL with that figure. While the passing game is almost underground, the Falcons’ running game seems to be a weapon. With 160.4 rushing yards per game, Atlanta is one of the best teams in the league in this category. Therefore, it is not surprising that four players are among the top-50 rushers. Running back Patterson in particular is having a great season despite a three-game injury layoff.
But Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley and quarterback Marcus Mariota are also excellent runners. Hardly any team in the NFL has that many options in the running game. With only 156.8 receiving yards, it’s nearly impossible to make the playoffs.
The only team with even fewer passing yards is the Chicago Bears. So two teams with similar strengths and weaknesses will meet on Sunday. So this game will probably be decided on the basis of the performance of the defence of both teams and determine the winner.
No team allows more yards
On defense, Atlanta has had major problems so far, allowing 25.0 points per game. This is mainly due to the defence against the passing game, as the Falcons are the weakest team in the NFL with 280.1 receiving yards allowed. With a solid defence against the run game, coach Arthur Smith’s team was able to make up for these deficits at least somewhat. Still, against the league’s best rushing team, the home team could have problems.
Key players for the Atlanta Falcons:
QB: Marcus Mariota – RB: Cordarelle Patterson – WR: Drake London – S: Richie Grant – K: Younghoe Koo
Chicago Bears – Statistics & Current Form
The Chicago Bears are in fourteenth place in the Northern Football Conference and have one less win on their record than Atlanta. However, the starting position is different and with only one win from the last seven games, the visitors are the clear underdogs. If we look at the betting odds before the duel between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, everything points to a home win. However, the team is not as far away from Atlanta in terms of play as the odds suggest.
Justin Fields – the different quarterback
Chicago is averaging 21.7 points and finds itself in the middle of the NFL with that performance. In the last four games, however, the Bears are averaging 31.0 points per game and that’s mostly due to Justin Fields and his outstanding running game. Therefore, the visitors are also the best rushing team in the NFL and by a wide margin. Even the Baltimore Ravens in second place average 34 fewer rushing yards and that is a lot, especially in the running game.
Besides Fields, however, Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery are also in the top 50 in rushing yards. However, the passing game suffers considerably under the great running game, because with only 128.1 receiving yards, the Bears have by far the weakest passing offense in the NFL. The most receiving yards are covered by Darnell Mooney, who has only scored one touchdown so far. A supporting role is therefore taken by Cole Kmet, who as a tight end is the target player for the short passes in front of the end zone.
The own strength as a weakness in the defence
The Bears allow an average of 24.7 points per game, making them one of the weaker defenses in the league. Especially against the run game, Chicago has problems and allows an average of 142.0 rushing yards. Coach Matt Eberflus’ team is surprisingly good against the passing game, so both teams will probably get most of their yards from the run as usual. Thus, between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, the prediction is for a lot of points.
Key players of the Chicago Bears:
QB: Justin Fields – RB: Khalil Herbert – TE: Cole Kmet – S: Jaquan Brsiker – K: Cairo Santos
Atlanta Falcons – Chicago Bears Direct Comparison / H2H Record
The head-to-head comparison between the two teams goes to the underdog from Chicago. The Bears won fifteen of the 28 duels and should therefore not be underestimated. The last meeting between these two teams was in September 2020, when Chicago won 30-26, and another high-scoring game seems very likely. It is also the first meeting between Marcus Mariota and Justin Fields in NFL history.
Atlanta Falcons – Chicago Bears Tip
Looking at the odds before the clash between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears, the hosts seem to be favoured. However, we expect a game of equals with plenty of points on both sides. The teams clearly have their strengths on the offensive side and are not particularly good on the defensive side. Therefore, we play the tip between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears for over 45.5 points.
As we expect a very close game between the two teams, a handicap bet also seems interesting. Therefore, we recommend taking the odds on a win for the visitors with a handicap of +5.5 between the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears. Especially because Chicago’s offence has been working excellently lately, an outright win by the hosts seems rather unlikely.
