by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Nov 17, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Falcons -3
FanDuel: Falcons -3
BetMGM: Falcons -3
Caesars: Falcons -3
Season record
Bears: 3-7
Falcons: 4-6
The NFL season is heating up with a lot of great games! Did you see this week's slate of games? They might not be like this forever, but man, it's going to be hard to replicate what we saw in Buffalo and Green Bay this weekend. But the playoff races are heating up at the right time and they are certainly relaying some excitement as the season progresses. You know you want to get involved in this action, as well, with our champion handicappers killing it through the NFL season with 8 more games to play for some teams, and even 7 if you're feeling lucky. Look no further than our own Al McMordie sitting at 16-9-1 in the NFL over the last 30 days, along with Sean Murphy at 16-11-0 in the last month. There's a lot of success stories as it pertains to who wants it more with the schedule entering the second half of the year. If you want the best handicapping results, make sure you're following our champion handicappers to a T and get in on this action at bigal.com!
Bears - Falcons preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Bears: lost 31-30 vs. Lions
Falcons: lost 25-15 at Panthers
I’ve never wanted to hit the under on a game more than I do with this one. Because one team will come close to it, while the other may not even put up 14 points with their inept offense. Of course the latter refers to the Atlanta Falcons, while the Chicago Bears may finally be in a position offensively to dominate this game from start to finish.
I’ve never wanted to hit the under on a game more than I do with this one. Because one team will come close to it, while the other may not even put up 14 points with their inept offense. Of course the latter refers to the Atlanta Falcons, while the Chicago Bears may finally be in a position offensively to dominate this game from start to finish.
And of course, when referring to that, you look at how Justin Fields has become a dynamic dual-threat option not designed to throw every time he has the ball. Fields did it again last week, albeit in a 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions, but he’s continuing to show that star power each time he runs a play. Because of Fields, the Bears are the first team in the Super Bowl era with at least 225 rushing yards in five straight games.
Fields had 314 total yards of offense last week with 167 through the air and 147 on the ground. That also came with two touchdowns each way to become the 4th player ever with a 50+-yard touchdown pass and 50+-yard touchdown run in the single game. When Matt Eberflus said he wanted to open up the playbook more for Fields, he wasn’t kidding.
"Just finish," Fields said. "We're putting up about 30 points a game. So just finish and we'll get those late-game drives."
You can’t tell me the last time a Chicago offense looked this dangerous. The fact they had 258 rushing yards in what seemed like light work is incredible, but the Bears are still in that position to rebuild and are not ready just yet to be a threat in the NFC North. Maybe in the next couple of years, but clearly, Fields’ emergence has helped accelerate that process.
The same can’t be said for the Falcons because Marcus Mariota is still the quarterback and the Falcons have officially punted on any chance to win the NFC South. Since that 37-34 overtime win against Carolina a few weeks ago, the Falcons responded with a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and then getting punked on national television to the same Panthers.
Mariota went 19 of 39 for 186 yards and two touchdowns, but that wasn’t even close to what he needed to produce. He hasn’t been the big-play quarterback the Falcons have needed, and it’s really a shame with all that talent.
"It starts with me," Mariota said. "I've got to do a better job getting us into better plays. When you're not consistently creating good first- and second-down plays, it's tough on third down. And then when you're not converting third downs, you're not sustaining drives and you're not scoring points."
Admittance is the first step, but it might be too late.
Prediction
A battle of two quarterbacks who have made it known how dangerous they are with their arms and legs. The only difference is one has unlocked that potential in his second year in the league, while the other never got it off the ground in college. Bears by 14
Betting trends
Falcons are 3-12 ATS at home against conference opponents the last 3 seasons.
Falcons are 20-35 ATS as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1992.
Bears are 5-14 ATS against conference opponents the last 3 seasons.
Bears are 0-7 ATS in Weeks 10-13 the last 2 seasons.
Statistical leaders
Bears:
Passing: Justin Fields -- 1,499 yards, 12 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Justin Fields -- 749 yards, 6 TD
Receiving: Darnell Mooney -- 464 yards, 1 TD
Defense: Eddie Jackson -- 4 INT
Falcons:
Passing: Marcus Mariota -- 1,747 yards, 12 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Tyler Allgeier -- 443 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Drake London -- 407 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Grady Jarrett -- 4.5 sacks
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Chicago Bears - Atlanta Falcons prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
