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Coming off one of the most impressive wins of Week 1, the Chicago Bears roll into Carolina as +3 odds. Chicago beat Indianapolis in decisive fashion Sunday night.
The Bears relied on a strong running game to control the clock, scored on a turnover and took advantage of an Indianapolis offense that was out of sync, beating the Colts 29-13 in the first regular-season game at the new Lucas Oil Stadium.
"We've always been a running football team," Kyle Orton said. "Any time you can do that, control the ball, you're going to have a good game. That's how we play football."
Matt Forte's 123 yards are the second-most for a rookie RB in Week 1 in the last 10 seasons (Cadillac Williams had 148 in 2005).
The 29 points for the Bears are the most in a season-opening game since 1995 (31-14 win over Vikings).
Are these the Super Bowl Bears we remember just a few years ago?
May be too early to tell but they certainly sent a strong message out Sunday night. This is a serious contender to at least win the NFC North division.
The Bears were initially offered up at +475 to win their division. A $100 bet would pay $475.
There wasn't much deviation off the Chicago Bears +3 line against Carolina. Aside from a -6 ½ opening line at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, nearly every online sports book opened this one at either -3 ½ or -3 in favor of Carolina.
The action as of Thursday was relatively balanced but favoring the Bears slightly - around 60/40. The money line action on Chicago was more significant. More than 90 percent had the Bears on the money line paying $150 for every $100 bet if they were to win outright.
Gambling911.com actually feels the line should be more like -1 for Chicago. Even with some degree of variation, the Bears should be able to cover.
Carolina is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games. The Panthers beat the Bears in their last game January 2006 by 8 points.
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