NFL Betting Online: The Chicago Bears are on their third coach in five seasons and while the rebuilding continues, the team is hoping it is on the upswing in 2016. The Bears have a +275 chance of making the playoffs and -350 odds of not getting into the postseason in 2015 in NFL odds.
Under first-year head coach John Fox, the Bears did improve last season, albeit only by a game, but there was still progress. Chicago finished the 2015 season with six wins and missed the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. On paper, it doesn’t sound like much to be optimistic about but the Bears played a brutal schedule in 2016, facing eight playoff teams over the 16 games. Plus, Chicago was much more competitive last year. Six of the team’s 10 losses were by a touchdown or less.
The Bears got off to a rough start in 2015, losing three tough ones in a row to Arizona, Green Bay and Seattle before capturing their first win in Week 4. Another string of losses in December to a terrible San Francisco team as well as Washington and Minnesota sealed the team’s fate, with the Week 14 loss to the Redskins officially eliminating Chicago from the playoffs.
There was blame to go around as the Bears struggled on both sides of the ball. The offense ranked 23rd in the league for points scored at 20.9 points a game and the defense didn’t fare much better. It ranked 20th in the league for points against, allowing 24.8 points a game by opponents. Quarterback Jay Cutler threw for 3,659 yards last season with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Alshon Jeffery was the team’s leading receiver with 54 catches for 807 yards and four touchdowns despite missing time due to injury. Matt Forte led the ground attack, amassing 898 total yards and averaging 4.1 yards a carry, but he signed with the Jets in free agency. The defense defended well against the pass last year, ranking fourth in the NFL, but struggled against the run, on third down conversions and forcing turnovers.
This year, the Bears hope to keep closing the gap to respectability. The offense loses the big piece with Forte gone and that will be a big hit to the running game. Jeremy Langford will take over as the starting running back, but it’s unknown how he will fare. Luckily, with Cutler, Jeffery and tight end Zach Miller all back, the passing game looks strong. Chicago also expects its2015 first-round pick, wide receiver Kevin White, on the field this year. White missed all of last season due to a stress fracture.
The defense gets a boost with the signing of linebackers Danny Trevathan, who comes over from the Broncos this season, and Jerrell Freeman, formerly with the Colts. The Bears also have high hopes for this year’s first round pick, rookie linebacker Leonard Floyd out of Georgia. The secondary remains largely unchanged this year. The Bears likely won’t make a playoff push but could be an improved team in 2016in NFL odds.
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