Justin Fields makes the fifth start of his career in the Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers match-up, while Tom Brady also makes his 306th career start. Fields have thrown two touchdown passes in his career. Brady has 598 and is looking to become the first player in NFL history to reach 600.
Chicago Bears (+13.5)
It is not fair to compare Justin Fields to Tom Brady. It is not fair to compare the Chicago Bears to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Las Vegas seems to agree, and they have made the Bucs a nearly two-touchdown favorite.
According to his head coach, starting a quarterback who was not ready to start has not, however, made this a lost season in Chicago. The most important thing for the Bears now is the growth of Fields. But a close second is winning football games, and they are 3-3. And even in a losing effort to Green Bay on Sunday, they stayed in it.
Fields is still taking too many sacks, notching another four against the Packers. But his 43 yards rushing was a season-high, and his 217 totals were also a season-high.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Much to the annoyance of everyone who is a fan of the 31 other teams, before last Thursday’s game at Philadelphia, an interview with Tom Brady showed him saying that he could play to 50 years old if he decided to.
Get real, a quarterback who has been “washed” for the last seven years and has thrown more touchdowns in his 40s than he did in his 20s. There is no chance. [Checks notes, sees that Brady is second in the league in touchdown passes and first in the NFL in passing yards].
Brady is aging better than wine. At a certain point, too many wines will age into vinegar. Brady is aging into a front-runner for another MVP.
The Bucs are not without their warts. Defensively they have not been nearly as good as they were at the end of last season. Some of that is injury-related, but some of it is simply a problem with shutting down other offenses. Still, they are a first-place team, and it is unlikely that anyone in the division can challenge that.
Betting Picks
Bears (+13.5)
The Bears are the sixth-best rushing team in the NFL, and the Bucs just gave up more than five yards per carrying against the Eagles. The Bucs defense also struggled to contain the running quarterback Jalen Hurts, who rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
Tampa Bay will win this game, but with close games with the Eagles and Patriots, there’s no reason to think they beat the Bears by two full touchdowns. Pick the Bears to cover.
Under 48
The Bears have a top-10 defense in both points and yards allowed but rank 30th in points scored. This is a formula for a 24-14 loss to the Bucs, which makes the above bet (Bears to cover) a solid play and the under. The Bears will not get to 20, and the Bucs won’t get to 30, which means we stay under 48.