The Chicago Bears may have finally found a kicker, but they are still searching for their offense. At least they don’t have to worry about their defense, which has picked up where it left off last season. That group is the Washington Redskins’ problem on Monday night when the clubs hook up at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. It might be a better bet to throw down on Jay Gruden being the first coach fired since his Skins have dropped eight of nine games dating back to last season. Kickoff for this Week 3 NFC tilt is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chicago Bears -3.5
Washington Redskins +3.5
Over/Under 41
Chicago at Washington Odds Analysis
The Bears opened at -4 and we saw a slight uptick to -4.5 before money came in on the Redskins, forcing the line back down. Some buyback has leveled things off with the current number at -3.5 and the action is evenly split at this time. We are unlikely to see the spread move more than a half point unless something drastic happens between now and kickoff. The Skins can score and they can’t stop anyone. The Bears are just the opposite. The total has been wagered down to 41 after hitting the board at 42.5 with over 50 percent of the public backing the under.
Chicago Odds
If not for the leg of Eddie Piniero the Bears would be in a big hole in their quest to repeat as NFC North champs. His 53-yard boot at the gun last week allowed the Bears to escape Denver with a 16-14 win. However, they failed to cover the 3-point spread falling to 0-2 ATS this season. They were 3.5-point closing faves in the opener falling 10-3 to Green Bay. Scoring just 19 points for the season while allowing only 24 has given the under two wins on the total.
Washington Odds
Losing the opener isn’t a big deal; half the teams in the league do that. Another loss can be worrisome. A third straight defeat and things are really in the cooker. That’s what the Redskins are looking at after some horrifying games to begin the new season. Everything looked good in Week 1 when they jumped out to a 17-0 lead over the division rival Eagles. Then the wheels fell off. The Skins were outscored 32-3 and only a late touchdown allowed them to get the backdoor cover as a 10.5-point dog. They again jumped out to an early 7-0 lead last week against Dallas, only to be outscored 31-7. This time a late touchdown couldn’t even get them a cover, falling 31-21 as 6-point pup.
Key Stats or Trends
Hailed as a genius on the offensive side of the football and turning a lackluster unit into something worth watching last season, Matt Nagy is pulling out what’s left of the hair on his head trying to figure out a way to get Mitchell Trubisky going. While most of the offseason was spent trying to find a kicker, the Bears overlooked their offense. Trubisky made strides last season under Nagy leading the team to its highest point total since the first year of the Mark Trestman era. Chicago was ninth in points per game in 2018, just their second top-10 ranking in 12 seasons. Currently the Bears are worse than anything they put on the field in the Jim Fox era, sitting last in the NFL in points and total yards per game.
Last Meeting
The teams last played in 2016 with Washington getting a 41-21 victory at Soldier Field. That means nothing come Monday since all the key players on either side are no longer around. Just to give you an idea of how things change in a short period of time, the Bears started Matt Barkley at quarterback and only one offensive starter from that game is still on the roster. The Skins know all about high turnover rates in short time spans. Hell, their lineup changes weekly due to injuries. The club put its 10th player on injured reserve with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie finding the list. It’s been an annual occurrence for the Skins over the past three years and it certainly affects their ability to win football games.
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