Bears Broncos Line


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The Denver Broncos will look to keep control of the AFC West when they host the Chicago Bears this Sunday. The Broncos rallied once again to beat the Vikings 35-32, and have now won five in a row and six of their last seven. With Oakland’s loss to Miami the Broncos are now tied for the division lead at 7-5. The Bears also come into this game at 7-5, as they fell 3-10 at home to Kansas City. Chicago would be in the playoffs if they started today, but appear to be headed in the wrong direction.

Taking a look at the week 13 spreads, oddsmakers currently have the Broncos favored by 3.5-points over the Bears with the total set at 35.5 points.

Chicago Bears:

If the loss of starting quarterback Jay Cutler wasn’t enough, the Bears will be without star running back Matt Forte until January. Forte was knocked out of the game against Kansas City after taking a helmet to the knee. Needless to say the Chicago offense struggled the rest of the game behind backup quarterback Caleb Hanie.

The Bears would finish the game with just 11 first downs and 181 yards of total offense. Hanie finished up just 11 of 24 for 133 yards with three interceptions. Backup running back Marion Barber managed just 44 yards on 14 attempts, as the Bears gained just 93 yards on the ground (12 were from Forte).  Without their two best offensive players, I don’t know if the is a defense in the NFL that couldn’t keep this offense from moving the ball.

I’m not saying Chicago can’t score a touchdown, but in order for that to happen it’s going to take a big play. This offense is not going to sustain long drives with the talent they are currently sending on the field.  It could very well take a Devin Hester return for a touchdown or a defensive score for Chicago to win this game.

Denver Broncos:

It doesn’t seem to matter what obstacle this team has to overcome, as long as Tim Tebow is quarterback they are going to find a way to win. While Minnesota kept scoring, Tebow made big play after big play to keep the Broncos in the game. The Vikings held Tebow to just 13 rushing yards on four attempts, but allowed him to complete 10 of 15 pass attempts for a season-high 202 yards and two touchdowns.

Both touchdown passes went to second-year wide out Demaryius Thomas, who finished with four catches for 144 yards. Denver also got a big game out of running back Willis McGahee, who carried it 20 times for 111 yards and a touchdown. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos rushing attack can have similar success against a Bears defense that ranks 8th in the NFL against the run.

It was a good thing the Broncos offense came to play on Sunday, as the defense didn’t play well at all. Denver allowed rookie Christian Ponder to throw for 381 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos played without star rookie Von Miller, and you have to wonder how much of his absence was a result in how well the Vikings offense looked. Miller is listed as questionable for this week’s game against the Bears.

Betting Trends:

Chicago is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.

Denver is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

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