Bears vs Buccaneers Odds
| Bears Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 +100 | 40 -110o / -110u | +125 |
| Buccaneers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -120 | 40 -110o / -110u | -145 |
Bears vs. Buccaneers odds have Tampa Bay installed as a home favorite over Chicago.
The Bears took a tough divisional loss to start the season, underwhelming in a big way against Jordan Love and the Packers. On the other side, the Buccaneers pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Week 1 with a win over the Vikings.
Let's break down the matchup and make our Bears vs. Buccaneers pick.
Bears vs. Buccaneers
Matchup Analysis
The Bucs pulled off a big-time win by upsetting the Vikings to start the season.
Baker Mayfield looked solid — notably improving in the second half — but his outing was not anything shocking, in my opinion. Mayfield expressed after the game that the Vikings were tipping a bunch of their defensive calls and that’s why he looked so much better in the second half. That is not something Tampa Bay will be able to count on week to week.
Tampa was arguably the luckiest team of Week 1 . The Vikings moved the ball effortlessly; they just couldn't stop turning the ball over. The Bucs won the turnover battle 3-0, which is another thing you can't count on. On the contrary, it is a great time to fade a team that got all of the bounces week before.
On the other side, it was a deflating effort from the Bears in their first chance against the Packers in the post-Aaron Rodgers era. Their defense could not hold up in the second half, and offensively, it looked a lot like the 2022 Bears Justin Fields playing hero ball to keep them in the game.
Bet Chicago vs. Tampa Bay at FanDuel
The Bucs are a downgrade from both a play-calling and QB perspective from the Packers. Therefore, I expect the Bears defense to be more effective against Mayfield. The Bears should be able to throw pressures at Mayfield that will cause him to turn the ball over
For the Bears offense, I expect a better performance from Fields. The big acquisition of the offseason for the Bears was bringing in DJ Moore to help lighten the load on Fields. He was a bit of a non-factor against the Packers, but you can chalk that up to going against one of the best CBs in the league in Jaire Alexander.
Against the Bucs, Moore should be able to create more space and make a couple of big plays. This success through the air will only open things up more for Fields to use his legs and make plays the way he does best.
When there is no tangible downfield threat, it is easy for opposing defenses to spy Fields and make his life difficult. The more success he has throwing, the more the Bucs will have to back off.
Bears vs. Buccaneers
Betting Picks & Predictions
Overall, everything in this matchup points to the Bears.
Week 2 in the NFL is all about betting against overreactions. The Bucs squeaked out a win against a Vikings team that turned the ball over three times and was generally due for regression after a fortunate 2022 season. On the other side, the Bears had a pretty lackluster performance in a big spot.
Fading Mayfield when his team is favored has been a profitable venture for bettors. Mayfield is 11-23-1 (32.4%) as a favorite in his career.
