It’s probably never a good idea to get too carried away or too demoralized when watching your team play in the preseason, especially in the opening week. Some guys take a little longer to get up to speed than others, while coaches often put in vanilla packages that reveal nothing of what their team will do once the games begin for real. That said, there are very often some signs that come up which show that a struggling team might expect more of the same. For the Chicago Bears, losing their opening two games of the preseason is not how they would have hoped to start things out.
Similarly, the Denver Broncos once again look like they might be in trouble at the QB position, an issue that has plagued them since Peyton Manning hung up his cleats. Both of these teams could really use a win to start feeling a little bit better about themselves, which makes their meeting on Saturday night one that might be well worth tuning into.
The Broncos may be wondering why they moved Trevor Siemian, as he lit them up in the opener, going 11/17 for 165 yards and 2 TDs. The Broncos were also burned on the ground, giving up close to 150 yards. It was not all doom and gloom, though, as Denver’s running game looked good. Royce Freeman put in a good shift, gaining 38 yards on just 4 carries, with a TD thrown in for good measure.
Bears at Broncos 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Lines
- When: Saturday, August 18 at 9:05 PM
- Where: Mile High Stadium, Denver
- TV: NFL Network
- Radio: TuneIn
- 2018 NFL Preseason Week 2 Lines: Denver Broncos -3 (Total 41)
Recent Head to Head (Last 5 Games)
- Record: Denver Broncos lead 3-2
- Score: Chicago Bears 18.60 / Denver Broncos 18.20
- Rush Yards: Chicago Bears 129.40 / Denver Broncos 144.80
- Pass Attempts: Chicago Bears 30.40 / Denver Broncos 33.20
- Completion Percentage: Chicago Bears 51.97 / Denver Broncos 57.83
- Passing Yards: Chicago Bears 160.20 / Denver Broncos 217.80
- Total Yards: Chicago Bears 289.6 / Denver Broncos 362.6
- Turnovers: Chicago Bears 2.00 / Denver Broncos 0.80
Why bet on the Chicago Bears?
The Bears may have lost their opening two games of the preseason, but they can perhaps take some solace in the fact that they kept things close in both, losing by a combined 4 points in those games. The thing that has to be particularly worrisome for the Bears has been the number of times they have turned the ball over. Let’s forget about the Hall of Fame Game for a moment, as that is one that is usually riddled with errors. Instead, look at their Week 1 game, a 30-27 loss to the Bengals, where they had two different QB’s throw a pick, as well as a pair of fumbles, one of which resulted in a turnover. This team is not good enough to recover from those types of errors, and that has borne out in those two opening losses. We have not seen much of Mitch Trubisky at QB, so now might be the time to get him in and give him some more reps.Why bet on the Denver Broncos?
Yes, it’s only one game, but the Broncos already look as though they could be in trouble. The went out and spent a lot of money to land the services of Case Keenum, who as totally ineffective against his former team in a 42-28 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Things don’t look much better at the backup position, with Paxton Lynch struggling again and already being moved down the depth chart.
The Broncos may be wondering why they moved Trevor Siemian, as he lit them up in the opener, going 11/17 for 165 yards and 2 TDs. The Broncos were also burned on the ground, giving up close to 150 yards. It was not all doom and gloom, though, as Denver’s running game looked good. Royce Freeman put in a good shift, gaining 38 yards on just 4 carries, with a TD thrown in for good measure.
