The Chicago Bears (5-7) will be looking to end a season-high six-game skid on Sunday when they host the Houston Texans (4-8) as small home underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. Chicago has also gone 1-5 against the spread during that brutal stretch following a 34-30 loss to the Detroit Lions as 3-point home favorites last week.
- Date/Time: December 13, 1 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Soldier Field
- TV Coverage: CBS
- Sportsbook Odds: Texans -1.5 | O/U 46 (Line History)
- Texans vs Bears Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
It is not surprising to see early money coming in on the Texans considering how poorly the Bears finished last Sunday’s loss to the Lions. Chicago led Detroit by nine points or more on four different occasions but could not pick up the victory, putting the futures of head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace in serious jeopardy. This is something to watch the rest of the week, as their jobs are on the line and Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson also looks for a measure of revenge against the team that passed him over in the NFL draft.
Houston News & Notes
The Texans could not break through and pick up a key divisional win last Sunday in falling to the Indianapolis Colts 26-20 as 3-point home underdogs despite having extra rest after a 41-25 rout of the Lions on the road the previous week.
Houston had won three of four prior to the loss to Indy, so the team is still in much better current form than its opponent. The Texans performed well in the first half against the Colts, trailing 24-20 at the break. But both teams failed to score offensively after halftime, with a safety the only points put on the board in the final 30 minutes.
That said, the aforementioned revenge factor for Watson at Chicago should not be underestimated in this spot, as he looks to show off against the team that bypassed him for Mitchell Trubisky.
Chicago News & Notes
Trubisky’s days in Chicago are most likely numbered after the Bears did not offer him a contract extension prior to the season. They will probably cut ties with Nagy and Pace as well.
It will be interesting to see if the latter two survive until the end of 2020, as they are clearly to blame for the season coming unraveled. Chicago started the year at 5-1, covering the spread four times with the UNDER cashing four times too thanks mostly to strong defense. However, the Bears have surrendered an average of 28 points per game during their losing streak.
Chicago’s defensive players have to be getting increasingly frustrated by the ineptitude of the offense no matter who is under center between Trubisky and Nick Foles, who was active last week but did not play after recovering from a hip injury. If Trubisky starts and loses this game, that should be the final nail in the coffin.
Betting Pick: Texans -130
It is easy to look back at the 2017 NFL Draft and wonder what might have been for the Bears had they selected Watson or even Patrick Mahomes instead of Trubisky. They obviously made a huge mistake, and Watson will undoubtedly remind them of that poor selection again here. Bet on the Texans to beat another NFC North opponent on the road.
- The OVER is 6-1 in Houston’s last 7 road games.
- The UNDER is 13-4 in Chicago’s last 17 home games.
- The Texans are 2-5 SU and ATS in their last 7 road games.
