Lions vs Bears NFL Betting Pick & Preview

Posted by Aaron . on January 1, 2016 in

When the Lions head to Chicago to take on the Bears in Week 17, they do so with a five-win streak on the line in this rivalry, a streak they haven’t matched since the early 1970s. In Week 6, the Lions rolled over the Bears at home, throwing the ball for 391 yards and gaining 546 yards overall, overcoming a poor defensive effort to win in overtime. This time, the Bears are favored at home by 1.5 points, making them the NFL betting pick.

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Why should you take the Bears (-1.5)?

Chicago is looking for revenge for that overtime loss, and first-year head coach John Fox could really use a home win. The Bears are tied with the Titans and Cowboys for the fewest wins at home. Chicago just came off a whipping of Tampa Bay, and Jay Cutler has had much less of a propensity for throwing crippling interceptions at just the wrong time. Fox’s reputation for building a nasty defense and a competitive team top-to-bottom could propel the Bears to a win to cap off the season.

The Lions have an even better quarterback in Matthew Stafford than they did in Week 6.

Why should you bet on Detroit (+1.5)?

The Lions have an even better quarterback in Matthew Stafford than they did in Week 6. Also, some injuries to the Bear offense mean that they don’t have all of the offensive pieces they had in that game. Jim Caldwell is likely to be fired on Monday — even if they win — so he will likely be pulling out all the stops to get the win in this one.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I like John Fox to have the steadier hand than Jim Caldwell, and I like the newly competitive Bears to hold serve at home and knock off the Lions. I like the Bears to win, 20-16.