Carolina Panthers (4-2 SU, 3-2-1 ATS) vs. Chicago Bears (2-4 SU, 4-2 ATS)
NFL Week 7
Date/Time: Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 1:00 P.M. ET
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
TV: CBS
by Jerbeek, Expert Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: Car -3.5/Chi +3.5
Over/Under Total: 41
The Carolina Panthers go on the road to take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Panthers have a couple extra days to prepare as they are coming off a Thursday night loss to Philadelphia in a game where Cam Newton struggled throwing the ball and had 3 interceptions. The Chicago Bears are coming off an upset overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens in a game where Jordan Howard had 36 carries for 167 yards. Carolina will look to maintain their divisional lead as they are a half game ahead of both New Orleans and Atlanta.
Carolina has struggled the last 2 weeks getting their RBs involved in the running game. In the game against Philadelphia they rushed for 80 yards but QB Cam Newton had 71 of those yards. In the previous game the Panthers only rushed for 28 yards. Carolina has been getting good production in the passing game from rookie RB Christian McCaffery as he had 10 receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles. Kelvin Benjamin has been the leading receiver for the Panthers with 26 receptions for 371 yards and 1 touchdown. TE Ed Dickson has chipped in 307 yards but has not yet found the end zone. Jonathon Stewart is the leading rusher with 247 yards but has only averaged 2.9 yards per carry. Cam Newton is completing 64.5% of his passes for 1476 yards. He has thrown for 9 touchdowns but also has 8 interceptions.
The Bears have switched over to rookie QB Mitch Trubisky who got his first NFL win. In an effort to help out their young QB the Bears have resorted to some trick plays as they scored on a fake punt 2 weeks ago against Minnesota and last week they converted an halfback pass from Tarik Cohen for a touchdown. The Bears have been led by Jordan Howard who has 495 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. RB Tarik Cohen has chipped in with 226 yards rushing and has been integral in the passing game as he has 26 receptions for 158 yards. Rookie QB Trubisky has struggled a bit completing only 48.8% of his passes in his first 2 games.
As noted, the Panthers have struggled running the ball as they are only averaging 3.4 yards per rush against teams that average giving up 3.9 yards per play. The Panthers are also below average passing the ball as they have averaged 6.7 yards per attempt against teams who average giving up 7.1 yards per attempt. Overall the Panthers are averaging 5.2 yards per play against teams that average 5.8 yards per play.
The Bears have averaged 4.4 yards per rush against teams that average 4.1 yards. In the passing game they have averaged 5.6 per attempt against teams that average 6.3 yards per pass attempt. Overall they have averaged 5.0 per play against teams that average 5.3 yards per play.
On defense, Carolina has given up 4.0 yards per rush against teams that average 4.0 yards per rush. In the passing game they have given up 5.9 yards per attempt against teams that average 6.6 yards. Overall they have given up 5.2 yards per play against teams that average 5.5 yards per play.
Chicago has given up 4.0 yards per rush against teams that average 4.2 yards per rush. The Bears have allowed 5.9 yards per pass attempt against teams that average 6.7 yards per attempt. Overall they have given up 5.1 yards per play against teams that average 5.6 yards per play.
Jerbeeks Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Both teams have been struggling on offense and both defenses have been pretty solid. The Bears will be trying the run game which will run the clock. I think the Panthers will regroup and get the win on the road by a score of 20-14 as they will harass the young rookie QB. My recommendation is to play under the total of 41. – Bet your prediction for FREE by taking advantage of a massive 100% bonus at MyBookie.