Eagles at Bears: Odds, trends and more

The latest Eagles at Bears odds, trends and other information ahead of their 2016 NFL Week 2 matchup.

Live on Monday Night Football, the Chicago Bears will host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. These two teams may not be Super Bowl contenders, but this has a chance to be a fun and interesting contest.

The home team Bears are favored by 1.5 points in this game, according to OddShark. Also, the OVER/UNDER for the game is set at 43 points.

The Bears are the slight favorites in this game, despite an opening week loss to the Houston Texans. Chicago played relatively well in the first half against Houston, but fell apart down the stretch against the clearly superior team.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, walked away with a Week 1 victory against the lowly Cleveland Browns. Led by rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, the Eagles were fantastic against Cleveland, coming away with a decisive 29-10 victory.

Wentz tossed for 278 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, but that does not tell the entire story. He appeared to be in complete control of the Eagles’ offense, looked extremely comfortable and clearly belongs in the NFL.

Wentz’s two touchdown passes (one for 19 yards to Jordan Matthews and the other for 35 yards to Nelson Agholor) were particularly impressive throws where the North Dakota State product showed incredible accuracy and touch.

Can Wentz build on his Week 1 success, or will the Bears’ defense figure the rookie quarterback out?

When the Bears have the ball, it will be interesting to see how Jay Cutler performs against a below average Eagles’ defense. Cutler has some strong weapons in the passing game, led by Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, but consistency has always been an issue for him.

The Bears would also benefit from an expanded rushing game this week. Jeremy Langford looked strong in his limited opportunity last week, but the Bears did not stick with him long enough. Getting Langford going on the ground will be key for this offense.

Betting Trends

The trends for this game are relatively interesting. It is important not to read too much into these, as the teams can change drastically from week to week. That being said, trends tend to hold true more often than not.

Perhaps the most interesting is Chicago being 0-6 against the spread in their most recent home games against NFC opponents. That obviously does not speak well to their chances on Monday. However, quarterback Jay Cutler is 8-5 for his career against the spread on Monday Night Football.

The Eagles have been a strong bet as a road underdog in recent history, going 25-13 against the spread dating back to 2005.

The spread for this game seems to be about right. If you believe that Wentz builds on his Week 1 success, then the Eagles are a strong bet. However, the Bears may be an underrated squad that will easily cover against an inferior team.