NFL Odds: Patriots Pegged As Road Favorites In Week 7 Clash With Bears
The New England Patriots will be looking to extend their domination of the Chicago Bears with a fifth straight head-to-head victory when they visit the Windy City on Sunday for a Week 7 clash as 2.5-point favorites on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England looks to have overcome a shaky start with three straight outright victories, capped by last weekend’s 43-40 win over the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs that improved the team’s straight-up record to 4-2 going into Sunday afternoon’s Patriots vs. Bears betting matchup at Soldier Field.
The Patriots’ sudden surge also has lifted them past the Chiefs on the Super Bowl odds, where they now trail only the Los Angeles Rams as a +600 wager. However, New England has struggled on the road. The Patriots have suffered decisive losses in a pair of contests away from Gillette Stadium as betting favorites, including a 26-10 Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions as 7-point chalk, and have won and covered in just one of their past four road dates.
However, a visit to Chicago may provide a cure for the team’s recent road woes. New England has dominated the Bears in meetings over the past three decades. The Patriots have claimed SU wins in seven of their last eight meetings, including victories in three of four visits to Soldier Field, while holding Chicago to single-digit point totals on four occasions, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
The Bears return home looking to rebound after seeing a three-game SU win streak come to an end with last weekend’s 31-28 overtime loss in Miami as 7-point favorites.
Chicago’s defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins ends the team’s longest win streak since 2013. However, the Bears maintain a narrow lead over the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings atop the NFC North standings, raising hopes that an end to the team’s lengthy seven-year playoff drought is in reach, and boosting the team’s Super Bowl odds to a respectable +2500.
Chicago has built its resurgence on a fourth-ranked team defense that has surrendered just 19.2 points per game and limited opponents to 27 total points in its past two home dates. However, injuries threaten to compromise the Bears’ smothering defense and the team’s chances of posting a fourth straight win on home turf for the fourth time since October 2012.
Star linebacker Khalil Mack is considered questionable with an ankle injury that held him out of practice Wednesday, while defensive back Prince Amukamara is considered doubtful while he deals with a hamstring injury that forced him to leave last week’s game in Miami.
