Much more will be known when the Eagles will face off against the Chicago Bears in Week 2 on “Monday Night Football.” The Bears don’t have a great secondary, but the first road game of a rookie quarterback’s career is always interesting.
Watch this regular season Week 2 matchup live on Monday, September 19, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Soldier Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Eagles +3
Bears -3
Over/Under 43.5
Odds Analysis
The spread seems right on, as 50.6 percent of the gamblers are choosing the Bears. The talent level seems pretty close on both sides, and Chicago is getting the standard three-point bump for the home field advantage.
The “under” is currently taking in the larger share of bets as the gambling public believes these teams won’t be able to put up the points expected by the oddsmakers.
Injury Report
Zach Ertz -- The Eagles tight end was a nice safety valve for Wentz during the Browns game, but he suffered a displaced rib in the contest and his availability for the Bears game is up in the air. Ertz is a main cog in the passing game and his absence would be glaring.
Kyle Long -- The Bears guard reportedly has a torn labrum but played through it in the opener and is expected to keep playing despite the ailment. He is the team’s best offensive lineman and crucial in both the pass and run game.
Matchup to Watch
The Eagles run defense vs. Jeremy Langford -- The Bears have a solid passing game and a pair of nice targets in Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White. However, the offense needs to stay two-dimensional by regularly gaining yards on the ground.
Long-time running back Matt Forte was allowed to leave in free agency this offseason and he ended up with the Jets. In stepped Langford, who had some nice flashes last season but wasn’t very good in the season-opening loss to the Houston Texans.
Langford had only 57 rushing yards on 17 carries, which amounted to 3.35 yards-per-carry. He needs to do better for the offense to put up enough points to claim this victory. Ka’Deem Carey and rookie Jordan Howard are other options, but for now it seems like Langford will be getting the majority of the carries.
Chicago isn’t great on defense, so the lack of a powerful offense would be a bad sign for the team’s fortunes this year.
Free ATS Pick
The Eagles picked up first- and fourth-round draft choices by trading expected starter Sam Bradford to the Vikings before the start of the season. That put Wentz into the lineup, and he responded perfectly in the opener by throwing for 278 yards and two touchdowns to help beat the Browns.
Philadelphia looks to be in rebuilding mode, but a road win over the Bears and another good performance by Wentz could really speed up that timeline. The running game behind Ryan Mathews seems solid, and the defense played well in the opener.
Chicago has the more established quarterback in Jay Cutler, but other than that the Eagles could have more talent across the board. Don’t be surprised if Philadelphia turns some heads by pulling off the upset, which would naturally cover the spread and pay off nicely on the money line. It would be a tough loss for the Bears, but they didn’t show a lot in the opener to inspire much confidence.
There shouldn’t be a ton of scoring in this one, and the “under” is the smarter play.
NFL Odds: Eagles 21, Bears 20
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