Betting Preview
Game Details
- Who: Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears
- When: Sunday, Oct. 1 (Week 4)
- Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Where: Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
Betting Odds Summary
- Moneyline: Broncos -162, Bears +136
- Spread: Broncos -3 (-115), Bears +3 (-105)
- Total: Over/Under 46.5 (-110/-110)
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Subject to change.
Both of these 0-3 teams are in rough shape heading into Week 4 of the 2023 NFL schedule and have shown no sign of turning things around. The Denver Broncos just allowed 70 points in a historic loss to the Miami Dolphins last week, while the Chicago Bears have lost three straight games by double digits and 11 games in a row dating back to last year.
Accordingly, both teams have little hope of making the Super Bowl this year. Their championship futures odds are incredibly long right now but could improve slightly for the winner of this game.
Barring a tie, one of these teams will emerge with their first win of the season. Can Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense finally get its act together? Or will the Broncos recover from last week’s humiliating defeat?
Moneyline
Despite last week’s embarrassing loss, Denver is still a slight road moneyline favorite for this game.
Chicago is trying to make the offense more balanced after ranking first in rushing play percentage last year by quite a wide margin. Unfortunately, that plan hasn’t worked out as hoped. Fields has been borderline atrocious so far in 2023 and may lose his starting job soon if he doesn’t improve.
Fields currently ranks 29th in passing yards, 31st in completion percentage and has thrown the third-most interceptions in the league. He also has more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three), which is never a good sign.
Fields can’t blame his receivers for his poor production, either. With a pass-catching corps of Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Cole Kmet and D.J. Moore, Fields isn’t lacking for options.
The Bears’ pass blocking has been relatively solid as well with the 16th-highest grade from Pro Football Focus. Put simply, Chicago’s offensive issues lie with Fields and the coaching staff.
Last week’s brutal showing aside, the Broncos are the better team and the preferred betting side in this matchup. They have more talent on both sides of the ball, better coaching and more motivation to right the ship in Week 4.
Point Spread
Denver enters Week 4 as a three-point spread favorite for Sunday’s game. The sportsbooks seem to have some faith in the Broncos bouncing back this week after last week’s disastrous performance.
In that game, Denver allowed a whopping 726 total yards to Miami with 376 coming in the air and 350 on the ground. The week before, the Broncos gave up close to 400 total yards to the Washington Commanders.
However, despite Denver’s floundering defense, there is not nearly enough trust in Fields’ arm or the Bears’ defense to back them covering the spread. Chicago’s secondary has been terrible and will likely struggle against Russell Wilson, so expect the Broncos to win by more than a field goal and cover.
Over/Under
The Over/Under for this matchup rests at 46.5 points. Both teams have a 2-1 Over record against this line, making that the preferred side here.
Neither offense is particularly exciting at the moment. With the way both defenses are playing, however, any offense would be able to put up a healthy number of points in this game.
Both units combined to allow 111 points last week, so it’s impossible to trust either defense right now. Both offenses should have a fair amount of success on Sunday and score enough points to hit the Over.
Player Prop
After a slow start to the season, Jerry Jeudy broke out in Week 3 with five receptions for 81 yards against the Dolphins, a team with the sixth-highest coverage grade from PFF.
Meanwhile, the Bears have the fifth-worst coverage grade thus far in the 2023 season. That makes this a juicy matchup for Jeudy.
Jeudy’s passing yards player prop line is at 53.5 yards for Week 4, which should be fairly easy for him to hit. His talent is undeniable and he will be open early and often, dissecting Chicago’s secondary.
Last season, Jeudy ranked first in target separation. Few players run cleaner routes than him, making him one of the more challenging covers in the NFL.
Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images
