Bears Vs. Commanders Betting Preview: Three Picks For ‘Thursday Night Football’

Now that Week 5 of the NFL regular season is behind us, let’s try to start Week 6 off on the winning track with the big “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears.

The 2-3 Bears will host the 1-4 Commanders at Soldier Field, but it’s Chicago who is viewed as a 1-point home underdog with the over/under set at 38, according to consensus data on the NESNBets.com live odds page.

Here are three bets to make for the clash between these storied NFC franchises.

Commanders moneyline (-115, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Both teams enter this primetime game as absolute dumpster fires this season. If it weren’t for the Bears opening their season in a monsoon against the 49ers, you could make a strong case they would have the same 1-4 record as Washington. Commanders head coach Ron Rivera made scathing comments this week about his QB1 Carson Wentz, though Rivera later apologized to his team and tried to walk back his words. Now, owner Dan Snyder is in the news yet again for all the wrong reasons. When you couple those will the constant front-office embarrassments and on-field product, it’s hard to imagine taking a chance on Washington in this primetime spot. Sometimes in sports betting, though, you must zig when everyone else is zagging. The Bears don’t have the distractions of Washington, but they are one of the worst offenses in the league and one of the worst defenses against the run. Offensively, the Commanders can balance both the pass and the run. The Bears don’t have that type of capability offensively as quarterback Justin Fields continues to struggle.

Over 38 total points (-110, DraftKings)
My prediction for the style of play in this game will be for Washington to attack Chicago’s defense with a steady dose of the run game and calculated risk downfield with big shots to those speedy wide receivers. Conversely, the Bears are ranked top five in the league in running the ball, and they will have every opportunity to sustain drives and get into the red zone on Washington. If they can convert those opportunities into touchdowns, this game could be higher scoring than everyone expects. This is the lowest point total on the board for the entire week of NFL action. Although there is a chance this game is a snooze fest, there is also a possibility of a surprising burst of scoring from either team.

Terry McLaurin anytime touchdown (+220, DraftKings)
My final bet for this game is on a player who I think will be the X-factor of the night. McLaurin has been inexplicably astray from this Washington offense all season. Wentz has yet to build chemistry with McLaurin and the offensive line has struggled to protect Wentz long enough to develop that relationship. McLaurin is due for a breakout game. And although this duo is still a work in progress, I believe McLaurin will be targeted all night and that’s why I’m betting on him to score.