Will the Bears win for the first time in 346 days?
The NFL has picked a real treat for the “Thursday Night Game” of the fifth day of play. The two teams facing each other on Friday morning have combined for two wins – and that’s not the only reason why this match is of enormous importance for both sides. In Washington, the Commanders host the Bears from Chicago. A tip that the home side will pick up their third win and thus keep the visitors winless seems completely understandable.
The franchise from the nation’s capital put up a fight all the way to overtime against their division rivals from Philadelphia last Sunday, but ultimately lost 31-34.2nd-Year Quarterback Sam Howell showed a bounce-back game after his horror performance against the Bills in Week Three.
The Bears blew a 23-7 lead in the final quarter against the previously winless Broncos and are now one of two teams still winless. This also explains the odds on the markets between the Commanders and Bears, which are clearly in favour of the home side.
Washington Commanders – Statistics & current form
In week three Sam Howell had an absolute nightmare performance when he threw four interceptions against Buffalo. Undeterred, he played liberated against last year’s NFC champions last week, completing over 70 percent of his passes and putting 31 points on the scoreboard with his offense against one of the best defenses.
New offensive upsets
Not to be left out of the offensive performance, of course, is Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy. He has a very special story and not only because of the two Super Bowl victories with the Kansas City Chiefs. His new challenge is called Washington, and the offense he built and shaped around the 144th pick in last year’s draft is absolutely respectable – despite statistical league mediocrity.
19.3 points and 288.7 yards per game as well as 5.3 yards per play are all average values in comparison – but the truth is that the Commanders have already scored over 30 points twice and at least 20 points three times. Numerous playmakers at the wide receiver and running back positions give the offence a baseline. That they crack at least the 20-point mark for the fourth time is a realistic prediction for the game between the Commanders and Bears.
Defence was supposed to be the strength of the Ron Rivera team, but this unit is lagging behind its claims. Only five teams allowed more points per match than Washington. Among others, the upcoming opponent belongs to these teams. At least the pass defence has been on the positive side so far, allowing relatively few. The rushing defence, however, is currently only 21st in the category “yards per attempt”, and that could become a good matchup for the visitors.
Key Players:
- QB: Sam Howell
- RB: Brian Robinson Jr.
- WR: Terry McLaurin
- TE: Logan Thomas
- K: Joey Slye
Chicago Bears – Statistics & current form
But will this duel matchup be enough for the team from the “Windy City” to get their first win of the season? If playmaker Fields and his offense can build on the performance from the first three quarters against Denver, there would at least be a glimmer of hope. Last week, Justin Fields, who is again already under a lot of criticism, managed his first NFL game with four touchdown passes.
Quo vadis?
The Bears are at a crossroads. For Fields as well as for the coaching staff around head coach Matt Eberflus, it could be the last year with the franchise from Illinois. They have now lost 14 in a row, which is unprecedented in the 100-year history of the franchise. As it stands, Chicago – due to the trade with the Carolina Panthers – would be allowed to pick at position one and two in the upcoming draft. That the then presumably newly installed regime would not then choose another franchise quarterback would be a huge surprise.
But that’s pie in the sky and in the here and now the team still wants to win games, of course. However, with only 18.8 points scored on average, this will be difficult, especially since the defence allows 34.3 points per game. Nine of their own touchdowns are matched by 17 from their opponents, so it’s no surprise that Chicago has trailed at halftime in three of their four matches.
These match-ups ensure that they cannot permanently hold on to the rungame, although there is unquestionable quality there – also thanks to Fields – with 4.7 yards per run attempt. This value is only topped by the Cardinals and the Dolphins. Therefore, between the Commanders and Bears, we also dare to predict that the guests can do damage on the ground.
The defence, as already mentioned, is currently one of the weakest units in the NFL, especially when the opponent acts via the passing game. The 8.4 yards they concede per passing attempt by the opposing offence is the second-worst value in the league. They have waited in vain for an improvement after the departure of defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who left the franchise after the second day of play for “personal and family reasons”. Now head coach Eberflus, who previously worked as defensive coordinator for the Colts, is in charge of the defending personnel group.
Key Players:
- QB: Justin Fields
- RB: Khalil Herbert
- WR: DJ Moore
- TE: Cole Kmet
- K: Cairo Santos
Washington Commanders – Chicago Bears Direct comparison / H2H balance
This is the first time the Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears have played each other. We wouldn’t venture a guess that the points scored will again be as few as in the 12:7 victory of the Capitals for the upcoming encounter. The Redskins, as Washington was known until 2020, and the team from the Windy City have faced each other 51 times before.
Since 2004, there have been nine duels, of which the franchise from the “District of Columbia” has won eight matches.
Washington Commanders – Chicago Bears Tip
The home side are the expected clear favourites between the Commanders and Bears with odds of 1.36 or less. And so the handicap issued by the various betting apps is at least 6.5 points. In order to minimise the risk, we decide to bet on Washington beating the worst team in the league by at least six points.
After everything we’ve seen from Chicago so far, we consider the Washington offense to be the worst matchup imaginable. The Eberflus defence conceded at least 27 points four times and it wouldn’t be surprising if the hosts could reach similar heights. On the one hand, we have of course tested this site extensively, on the other hand, a great first deposit bonus beckons there and – last but not least – we find the best betting odds for the match between the Commanders vs. the Bears for this recommendation there.
As we see the home side being at least the seven points better that they are given on the markets, it is additionally possible to place a bet on the half-time lead in combination with a win for the Capitals.
