INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 11: Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers celebrates his … [+]
In case your Halloween weekend hasn’t been scary enough, a Sunday Night showdown between two of the league’s cellar dwellers is more than enough to send shivers down your spine.
The 2-5 Chicago Bears drag themselves into SoFi Stadium to face the 2-4 Los Angeles Chargers, and while the Bears managed to pick up their second “W” last weekend, oddsmakers are asking them to cover a pretty hefty number tonight under the lights.
Sportsbooks opened the Chargers at -8.5, but a late push has seen that line creep up to -9.5 as of Sunday afternoon. After opening at 44 points, the game’s Over/Under has since jumped to 46.5 at most of the shops we checked.
Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Chargers Betting Odds
Bears vs. Chargers Money Line
Bears vs. Chargers Point Spread
Bears vs. Chargers Total
Chicago quarterback Tyson Bagent will once again take over signal-calling duties in Justin Fields’ absence, with the undrafted rookie leading the Bears to a 30-12 victory over the Raiders in his first career NFL start. Bagent went 21 of 29, 162 yards, and a lone touchdown in the victory.
Bagent continued to show favoritism to D.J. Moore, targeting the wide receiver with nine of his 29 attempts. Moore also saw his number called for six of the 14 passes Bagent made after filing in for the injured Fields in Week 6.
With the Los Angeles Chargers defense ranked 32nd in yards allowed per passing attempt (8.1), Moore should find more success tonight than he did against a Raiders unit that limited him to 6.75 yards per catch last weekend.
While having a quarterback with limited experience under center is the main driver behind this steep line, bettors must note that Bagent has managed to protect the ball quite well in his limited play. If the rookie can remain turnover-free tonight, his chances of covering the +9.5 spread look quite promising.
Fortunately for Bears backers, Justin Herbert and his Chargers have struggled to cover the spread at home. Aside from last week’s 31-17 loss to the Chiefs, Los Angles’ three losses all came from within three points, and the team’s tendency to play safe late in games has seen them struggle to put away teams in close games.
Herbert tossed a pair of interceptions and was sacked five times in the Week 7 loss, and while the Bears’ defensive unit does not pose the same threat, Los Angeles’ offensive line will need to see improved play if they hope to give Herbert the time he needs to find his targets downfield.
Defensively Chicago ranks near the bottom of the league (28th) surrendering 26.9 points per game and allowing the opposition close to 340 yards per game. Despite the growing list of offensive injuries on the Chargers side of the ball, tonight offers the perfect opportunity for Herbert to step up and show that he can close out a game in winning fashion.
With little faith in either quarterback’s ability to close out a game, we are forced to look at the matchup’s over/under for betting value.
As mentioned earlier, the line has seen a steady increase thanks to bettors piling on the over. Still, at 46.5, I think the pair can find a way to top this number given all of the defensive question marks on both sides of the ball.
Herbert will look more comfortable against a weaker defensive unit, and Chicago will open up their gameplan as Bagent continues to find his footing.
D.J. Moore over 60.5 receiving yards is also getting a lot of love from bettors, but look for the Chargers defense to limit his input, fording Bagent to find other targets. Sprinkle a little bit on the under here.