Cincinnati vs Chicago | Week 2 Game Preview

Two coaches who entered the season on at very hot seat face off on Sunday as the Zac Taylor and the Cincinnati Bengals visit Matt Nagy and the Chicago Bears, who are short favorites on the NFL odds. If the Bears lose here, Nagy might be fired on Monday.

How to Bet Bengals at Bears NFL Odds & TV Info

When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
Where: Soldier Field
TV: Fox
Radio: http://www.siriusxm.com/nfl
Stream Option: NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV
Opening NFL Lines: Bears -2 (total 45)

Series history

Cincinnati leads 6-5. Outside of Carolina, which hasn’t been in the NFL all that long, 11 is tied for the fewest number of all-time games between the Bengals and any opponent. The Bengals have lost the last two meetings with Chicago, 24-21 in 2013 at Chicago and 33-7 in 2017 at Cincinnati. Home-field advantage has not been a factor in the Cincinnati-Chicago series. The Bengals lead 4-2 at Chicago and trail 3-2 as the home team.

Why Bet on Cincinnati?

Cincinnati 27-24 OT win over Minnesota last week was historic as the first regular-season game in NFL history with a game-tying score with no time remaining in regulation and a game-winning score with no time remaining in overtime. Evan McPherson converted a 33-yard field goal with no time remaining – he was the second rookie kicker in NFL history to kick a game-winning field goal with no time remaining in overtime, joining Jason Sanders (October 14, 2018).

In his return from a serious knee injury that cut his rookie year short, Joe Burrow completed 20-of-27 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. With plenty of doubt surrounding his return from a torn ACL and MCL, Burrow looked as good as he did last year vs. the Vikings. Burrow took 53 percent of Sunday’s snaps under center after averaging around 80 percent of his snaps in shotgun formation last year.

The second-year QB didn’t show many signs of rust, posting career-highs in passer rating (128.8), completion percentage (74.1) and yards per attempt (9.6). But like in 2020, Cincinnati’s horrid offensive line betrayed Burrow at times, resulting in him taking five sacks. After taking a hit in the fourth quarter, Burrow got up gingerly but he will play Sunday.

Rookie No. 5 overall pick Ja’Marr Chase caught 5-of-7 targets for 101 yards and a touchdown. Chase was maligned by drops throughout the preseason but didn’t struggle in the slightest during his NFL debut. Chase became the youngest Bengal (21 years, 195 days) ever to post 100 receiving yards, the third-youngest Bengal ever to score a TD, and the first Bengal with a receiving TD in his NFL debut since A.J. Green in 2011. Additionally, Chase’s 50-yard TD catch at the end of the first half was the longest TD of any kind by a Bengals rookie in their NFL debut.

Joe Mixon rushed 29 times for 127 yards and a touchdown and added four catches for 23 yards. The Bengals hold a 9-6 record when Mixon reaches the 20-carry mark in his career.

Top cornerback Trae Waynes didn’t play in the opener and won’t in this one as he recovers from a hamstring injury. In addition, Cincy placed safety Ricardo Allen on IR with a broken hand and a hamstring strain. Allen will miss at least three weeks, and it represents a downgrade to the Bengals’ secondary depth.

Why Bet on Chicago?

The Bears lost 34-14 at the Rams in Week 1. QB Andy Dalton completed 27-of-38 passes for 206 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Dalton averaged just 5.4 yards per attempt but remains the starter over impressive rookie Justin Fields. He completed 2-of-2 passes for 10 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions, adding a three-yard touchdown run on his only carry. David Montgomery rushed 16 times for 108 yards and one touchdown, adding one reception for 10 yards. Montgomery was the best player on the Bears, continuing his momentum from the end of last season. Last year the Rams run defense ranked third in the NFL and did not allow an opposing back to top 100 yards all season.

The Bears advanced into Rams territory on seven of eight possessions and picked up first downs on all eight of their drives in the game. Their 24 first downs were tied for the third most in the NFL in Week 1. They had no three-and-outs, and they scored touchdowns on two of three red-zone possessions. Yet they still scored only 14 points. While the Bears converted 45.5 percent of their third-down opportunities (5 of 11), their downfall came in going 0-of-4 on fourth down—which abruptly ended half of their eight possessions with no points.

Dalton was a 2011 second-round pick of the Bengals who served as Cincinnati’s starter for nine seasons. Additionally, the Bears’ offense is coordinated by Bill Lazor, who was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator in 2018. Dalton faced his former team for the first time last season with the Cowboys, where Dallas crushed Cincinnati 30-7. Dalton completed 16-of-23 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns for a 122.6 passer rating.

Chicago has gone 2-1 in home openers under Matt Nagy, defeating the New York Giants in 2020 and Seattle Seahawks in 2018. They lost their Week 1 opener against the Green Bay Packers in 2019.

Game Trends

Bengals are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
Bengals are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
Bears are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Bears are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up loss.
Bears are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite.