The Chicago Bears meet the Tennessee Titans in an NFL matchup today that pits two of the league’s best records head-to-head (1pm ET Sunday; TV: Live on Fox).
Both the (5-3) Bears and (5-2) Titans suffered setbacks last week as they lost their week eight matchups, albeit in different ways. One of the AFC’s best, Tennessee found itself with a shocking loss at the hands of the two-win Cincinnati Bengals whereas the Bears, who have been called the league’s worst five-win team, nearly defeated the powerhouse New Orleans Saints. So who can prevail today? This full game preview with Bears vs Titans predictions and betting picks aims to answer that question.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to how these two teams will finish out the regular season. Both still have strong playoff hopes and a good path to get there but today will go a long way toward helping answer the question on just how far in the playoffs either of these teams might expect to go.
Legendary poet Robert Frost penned quite the famous poem, The Road Not Taken. In it one line in particular is often quoted: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” Let’s say in this case, the yellow wood is the NFL postseason and the two roads right now, are the ones being taken by the Bears and Titans. Both sitting on five wins, Tennessee and Chicago really couldn’t be more opposite, both in overall structure of the teams as well as their respective roads to their victories this year.
In previewing the Bears/Rams game two weeks ago, we talked about Chicago’s then 5-1 record which had them neck-and-neck with the Green Bay Packers for the top spot in the NFC North. One of the main points of discussion was around a national talking point when it comes to the Bears, that being the fact that the record did not necessarily reflect who the team was. In back-to-back losses in ensuing weeks, it is fair to say we’ve gotten a clear picture of who this Chicago team is and it’s not a very good outlook. The Bears have backed their defense to help them remain in games whereas their offense has severely struggled of late. By contrast, the Titans, who up until the last two weeks looked like a bona fide Super Bowl contender, have had immense success on offense but have been a disaster on defense.
So what it really comes down to is identity and there is a lot to be learned about a team over the course of the first half of the season. Both the Bears and Titans have shown us a lot about who they are and where their strengths/weaknesses lie. We’ve also learned that when it comes to being contenders, perhaps neither the Titans or Bears are really in that category. Of course, everything can change in any given week. Who a team is in the first half of the season won’t always dictate who they will be in the second half. For both the Titans and the Bears, they’ve reached that fork in the yellow wood. Now, what it comes down to is which will take the road less traveled, because as Frost writes: “It made all the difference.”
Our Betting Preview’s Chicago Bears vs Tennessee Titans Predictions & Picks Recommendations
The Bears truly are what many thought they were and what many knew they were destined to be. As soon as the strength of their schedule increased, Chicago seemed to crumble. Nick Foles, who at times has shown some of the same magic that has garnered him a positive reputation around the league, has really struggled of late. So much so that some Chicago beat writers are suggesting that perhaps the team made a quarterback change too hastily in replacing Mitchell Trubisky with Foles. The run game has failed to find any sort of consistent traction as well. The only real bright spot on the offense right now is Allen Robinson, who has continued to perform as one of the top receivers in the league. Robinson will get his production but over the past two weeks, that simply hasn’t been enough.
The Titans have a big problem on their hands when it comes to their defense and how it has negated all of the gains the offense has made behind a rejuvenated Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry, one of the best runningbacks in all of the NFL. Tennessee’s defense has given up at least 27 points in five of their seven games this year including last week in what can only be referred to as a humbling loss last week against the Bengals. That really brought the Titans back down to earth and was their first really bad loss of the year. The Titans allowed 31 points and lost by 11.
The Bengals’ offense has actually been pretty potent this year, as they may be another team that isn’t as good or bad as their record. Still, for the Titans in their quest to claim the AFC South, losing to the Bengals and how that exposed this defense, was not what Tennessee would have been hoping for.
Both these teams are at the proverbial crossroads as mentioned in this NFL game preview but they also have significant holes they’ll need to find a way to fix. Because right now, neither of these teams will make it far in the playoffs. As things go though, it really only takes one game to turn things around and both Chicago and Tennessee will be looking for that today.
So how do the good offshore USA sports wagering sites see it? The Titans enter this game with a 6.5-point spread in their favor on the betting lines. Right now, the Titans’ problems seem more manageable because as last week’s Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles clash taught us, bad offenses can’t always take full advantage of bad defenses.
These are our considered Chicago Bears vs Tennessee Titans predictions and picks for this Sunday game preview:
- Look for the Titans -6.5pts @ best odds of -110 to cover the spread with Bookmaker, Intertops or BetOnline. It is -115 with Bovada.
- Favor the over 46.5 total points being accumulated @ -115 with BetOnline. It is over 47pts at -110 with the other sportsbooks.
Marilee writes on NFL, MLB, NBA & tennis for USA Betting. Another area of her sporting journalistic expertise is pro wrestling. A native of Philadelphia and a big Eagles fan, she has been a sports writer for many major websites including Bleacher Report and Rant Sports. She started her journalistic career early, as sports editor for her college newspaper.