The Chicago Bears ride the momentum of a Week 1 comeback win into their home opener against the New York Giants in Week 2.
The Bears looked dead in the water for most of their season debut against the Detroit Lions, but exploded for a 21-point fourth quarter to steal a 27-23 victory as 2.5-point underdogs on the road. The Giants come to the Windy City on a short week after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-16 as 6-point home underdogs on Monday night.
Here are our best NFL free picks and predictions for Giants vs. Bears on September 20.
New York Giants vs Chicago Bears betting preview
Weather
The extended forecast for Sunday is calling for mainly sunny skies and game-time temperatures in the high-60s with winds blowing up to 15 mph. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NFL weather info.
Key Injuries
Giants: Adrian Colbert S (Out).
Bears: Tedd Ginn WR (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 9-2 in the Bears’ last 11 home games. Find more NFL betting trends for Giants vs. Bears.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The lookahead line for this Week 2 matchup had Chicago pegged as 5-point home chalk back in the spring. The true opening spread, posted Tuesday morning following the Monday night games, hit the board with the Bears giving 5.5 points and quickly jumping as high as -6.5 before buyback on New York leveled the line to Chicago -6.
The big edge could be the Bears defense – if it shows up. The stop unit did an OK job keeping Chicago in the game last Sunday, which allowed for that fourth-quarter comeback. However, the Lions let Chicago off the hook with miscues and there was a lot to be desired, specifically from the Bears pass rush that registered one lonely sack.
New York watched QB Daniel Jones go down three times versus Pittsburgh and a retooled offensive line left the second-year passer to run for his life outside of the pocket on plenty of snaps. Chicago has the players – and the pressure – to get to the QB and force Jones into those all-too-familiar mistakes.
PREDICTION: Chicago -6 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The Giants offense wasn’t terrible in its first full-speed run under Jason Garrett. New York looked promising for the first half of football on Monday night despite, an untested offensive line and a brand-new system.
Then the turnovers happened.
Jones sucked all the energy out of MetLife Stadium with tragic turnovers, including a goal-line interception that snapped a 19-play drive out of existence like second-string Avenger. The New York ground game was non-existent against Pittsburgh, with Saquon Barkley picking up just six yards on 15 carries but it could find traction in Chicago.
The Bears were gashed for 138 yards on the ground versus Detroit, with 93 of those gains coming from the ancient legs of Adrian Peterson. Barkley is a much tougher runner to wrangle and will exploit Chicago’s troubles at nose tackle, keeping the clock ticking and scoring low.
PREDICTION: Under 42 (-110)
First quarter pick
We’ll bet Under in the first quarter of Bears games until the wheels fall off.
Chicago is notorious for slow starts, managing a mere field goal in the opening frame versus Detroit, which finished 3-3 and played below the first-quarter Over/Under of 7.5 points on Sunday.
Last season, Chicago averaged just 2.3 points in the opening 15 minutes of action – tied for lowest in the league – while giving up only 3.3 points per 1Q, helping fatten the pockets of derivative total bettors all year.
The Giants also opened slow in their 2020 debut, sitting 3-3 with the Steelers after the first quarter Monday night. While this is a different playbook under a new staff, the 2019 G-Men averaged only three points per first frame.
PREDICTION: First quarter Under 7.5 (-125)
Giants vs Bears betting card
- Chicago -6 (-110)
- Under 42 (-110)
- First quarter Under 7.5 (-125)
Did you know that if you parlayed this week’s NFL Giants vs. Bears picks, you could win $55.60 on a $10 bet?
Use our NFL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on the NFL?
You can bet on NFL odds at every online and casino sportsbooks, including NFL moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals and a ton of NFL prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on NFL odds in your area.
