Week 12 NFL Expert Picks: Tennessee At Chicago

Posted by Eric Williams on Saturday,November 26, 2016 10:20, EDT in

NFL News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans will look to keep their slim playoff and division title hopes alive when they square off in a Week 12 Inter-conference matchup against Jay Cutler and the dysfunctional Chicago Bears.

Now, let’s find out if the Titans have the juice to bring home the bacon against the Bears.

Here’s A Closer Look At The Week 12 NFL Expert Picks: Titans At Bears

When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 27, 2016
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
TV: CBS
Radio: Sirius XM Radio
Live Stream: CBS Sports Network
NFL Odds: Tennessee -5.5

Why Bet on Chicago

The Chicago Bears (2-8 SU, 3-7 ATS) have lost two straight and five of their last six games and come into their Week 12 home date against Tennessee off a humbling 22-16 loss against Eli Manning and the New York Giants last weekend while narrowly failing to cover the spread as a 7-point underdog.

More importantly, the Bears are averaging a pitiful 15.7 points per game to rank 31st in scoring while giving up 23.7 points per game defensively to rank 19th in points allowed. The good news for the Bears (no joke), is that soon-to-be-jettisoned quarterback Jay Cutler will almost assuredly sit this affair out after he injured his right shoulder in last week’s loss to the Giants.

Veteran backup Matt Barkley will start in Cutler’s place, but no one in the Windy City is actually jumping for joy at the prospect of seeing the former USC signal-caller under center and rightfully so.

Why Bet on Tennessee

The Tennessee Titans (5-6 SU, 4-7 ATS) have alternated SU wins and losses over their last six games and come into this contest off a narrow 24-17 loss to AFC South division rival Indianapolis the last time out while failing to cover the spread as 3-point underdog. The Titans are averaging an impressive 25.5 points per game to rank eighth in scoring despite giving up 25.0 points per contest to rank 23rd in points allowed.

The good news is that, since the start of Week 5, only Tom Brady has compiled a higher passer rating than Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota (116.8). The now, second-year signal-caller has tossed a whopping 19 TD passes since the start of Week 5 while throwing just three interceptions during the stretch.

The Titans also have one of the best rushing attacks in the league with veteran running back DeMarco Murray currently second in rushing yards only to Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott.

Expert Prediction and ATS Final Score Pick

With the Chicago Bears looking increasingly inept with each passing week, this Week 12 matchup is as easy as pie to call, which is why a decisive 61 percent of public bettors like the Titans to cover the NFL betting line. The Titans have struggled mightily to cover the spread, but they’re playing solid football right now and have a huge edge at quarterback with Marcus Mariota being light years better than Chicago’s Jay Cutler.

The Bears are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games, 5-16 ATS in their last 21 home games versus a team with a losing road record and 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record. Last but not least, the road team in this inter-conference rivalry has gone 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings. Tennessee wins outright by at least a touchdown to cover the spread!