Atlanta Falcons vs Chicago Bears Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/31/2023

Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, December 31, 2023

Venue:  Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Falcons +2.5, Bears -2.5; Over/Under:  38 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Falcons +2.5, Bears -2.5; Over/Under:  38 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Falcons +2.5, Bears -2.5; Over/Under:  38 points

Atlanta Falcons:  7-8 (2nd place, NFC South)

Chicago Bears:  6-9 (4th place, NFC North)

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Atlanta Falcons:  won their last game at home against the Indianapolis Colts 29-10.

Chicago Bears:  won their last game at home against the Arizona Cardinals 27-16.

The Falcons are entering this game with a 7-8 record overall and they have a 3-2 record in their divisional games too. They are 5-3 in their home games, 2-4 in their road games, and they are also 0-1 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Indianapolis Colts 29-10. Taylor Heinicke was the starting QB and he completed 23/33 passes for 229 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Bijan Robinson led the team in rushing yards with 72. Bijan Robinson led the receivers with 50 receiving yards on 7 receptions. Nate Landman led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Zach Harrison led the defense in sacks with 2. Jessie Bates III came away with the only interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

The Bears are entering this game with a 6-9 record overall and they have a 2-3 record in their divisional games too. They are 4-3 in their home games, 2-6 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Arizona Cardinals 27-16. Justin Fields was the starting QB and he completed 15/27 passes for 170 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Khalil Herbert led the team in rushing yards with 112 and 1 TD. Cole Kmet led the receivers with 107 receiving yards on 4 receptions. Kyler Gordon led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Kyler Gordon and Justin Jones each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have the Bears listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Bears haven't looked great in their games this season with their 6-9 record overall but they have been playing a lot better in their games lately. They have been a lot better in their home games with their 4-3 home record and ever since Fields came back from his injury, he has looked a lot better in their games too. Meanwhile, the Falcons haven't looked great this season either with their 7-8 record overall and their playoff hopes are hanging on by a thread right now. They have also looked a lot worse in their road games all year with their 2-4 road record and they have been switching between starting QB's because they have no consistency on offense. The Falcons do need to win this game for their playoff hopes and even though the Bears don't have much to play for themselves, they will be looking to spoil the Falcons playoff chances at home since they have been a lot better lately. The Bears have been a lot more consistent on offense lately and that will be what gives them the edge to win this game at home against a struggling Falcons road team. The best way to place a bet here is on the Bears to cover the spread in this game.

Falcons Bears Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, December 31, 2023 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Bears 21 Falcons 13.

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Atlanta Falcons: 4-1 ATS as a road underdog of 3 points or less. 10-5 UNDER in all games. 9-4 UNDER in games where the line is +3 to -3. 12-7 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins. 40-19 UNDER after gaining 175 or more rushing yards last game.

Chicago Bears: 18-28 ATS in all games. 5-10 ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3. 5-12 ATS after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 13-5 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread. 10-4 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins. 

Atlanta Falcons:  C. Lindstrom (G) Ques Sun - Ankle. D. Onyemata (DL) Ques Sun - Ankle. D. Dalman (OL) Ques Sun - Ankle. T. Heinicke (QB) Ques Sun - Ankle. K. McGary (OT) Ques Sun - Knee. L. Carter (LB) Ques Sun - Neck. J. Matthews (OT) Ques Sun - Knee. K. Smith (FB) I-R - Ankle. K. Street (DL) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. G. Jarrett (DL) I-R - Knee. J. Ali (WR) Out indefinitely - Ankle. T. Andersen (LB) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. M. Hennessy (OL) I-R - Knee. A. Ogundeji (LB) I-R - Ankle. F. Franks (TE) I-R - Lower Body. E. Greenidge (OL) I-R - Leg. I. Enechukwu (DL) I-R - Undisclosed. A. Williams (RB) I-R - Knee.

Chicago Bears:  E. St. Brown (WR) Prob Sun - Pectoral. N. Sewell (LB) Prob Sun - Knee. T. Jenkins (OL) Prob Sun - Knee. L. Patrick (OL) Ques Sun - Knee. D. Foreman (RB) Prob Sun - Personal. D. Mooney (WR) Ques Sun - Concussion. C. Kmet (TE) Ques Sun - Knee. Y. Ngakoue (DL) I-R - Ankle.

“He kept the offense in rhythm. We wanted to be aggressive and he certainly executed the plan.” - Arthur Smith on Taylor Heinicke after his team’s win against the Colts in their last game. 

“It’s just about being resilient. It was attention to detail on some things that we need to do better. You have to do that in the fourth quarter. You have to bring it to the guys’ attention and the coaches’ attention, and we’ve got to just keep doing a better job.” - Matt Eberflus after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their last game. 

WR London, Drake 

WR Jefferson, Van 

TE Pitts, Kyle

TE Smith, Jonnu 

QB Heinicke, Taylor  

RB Robinson, Bijan 

FB Fisk, Tucker 

WR Moore, DJ 

WR St. Brown, Equanimeous  

WR Mooney, Darnell 

TE Kmet, Cole 

QB Fields, Justin 

RB Herbert, Khalil 

FB Blasingame, Khari 

Passing: D. Ridder (2528)

Rushing: B. Robinson (873)

Receiving: D. London (808)

Touchdowns: B. Robinson (7)

Passing: J. Fields (2146)

Rushing: J. Fields (585)

Receiving: D. Moore (1141)

Touchdowns: D. Moore (8)

Coaches:

Atlanta Falcons: Arthur Smith (3rd season)

Chicago Bears: Matt Eberflus (2nd season)