The 4-3 Pittsburgh Steelers host the 3-5 Chicago Bears for a Week 9 Monday night showdown. Sports betting apps list the Steelers as the clear favorites.
Chicago Bears (3-5, 3-5 ATS) At Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3, 3-4 ATS)
FanDuel Line: Steelers by 6 (39.5)
The skinny: The Steelers, who currently are the sixth seed in the AFC playoff standings, will be seeking their third straight win against a Bears team on a three-game losing streak.
Facts: In Chicago’s 33-22 home loss to the 49ers last week, the Bears played without coach Matt Nagy (COVID), premier defender Khalil Mack (sprained foot), and star safety Eddie Jackson (hamstring) early on. Nagy has been cleared for this game, but LB Mack remains questionable and Jackson’s status is still up in the air.
When these teams last met, in 2017, Chicago prevailed 23-17 in overtime with 222 rushing yards, one of four games that season it had 200-plus on the ground. The Bears haven’t hit that number even once the past four seasons.
The Steelers have re-emphasized the running game behind rookie first-round pick Najee Harris, who has averaged 24 carries and 98 yards the past three games. Before that, he never had more than 16 rushes or 62 yards.
Chicago QB Justin Fields has started only six games yet has been sacked a league-high 26 times and has eight fumbles, also tops on the chart, with five coming the past two weeks. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers are hoping PK Chris Boswell can clear concussion protocol or they’ll be needing another kicker.
Analysis: Until Fields starts having much better ball security, is quicker to make decisions in the pocket, and stops rocketing throws into outer space, the Bears are off-limits even with Monopoly money. He’ll no doubt be feeling pressure from LB T.J. Watt, who’s second in the NFL with 8.5 sacks. On the other side, with Mack (six sacks) ailing, the Bears haven’t gotten to the quarterback their past two games, which should make Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger a little more comfortable in guiding an offense that’s often hard to get off the field as evidenced by three drives they’ve had that included seven first downs. No other team has more.
Pick: Steelers 24, Bears 14
Last week: 4-11 against NFL point spreads, 5-10 SU
Season total: 62-57-3 (.521) ATS; 77-45 (.631) SU
About the Author
