We’ve got great Sunday Night Football bets in Week 17 for a top-tier matchup in the NFC between the Chicago Bears (11-4) and San Francisco 49ers (11-4). It’s a battle of teams with playoff expectations, and the 49ers especially have a lot on the line as they can get the No. 1 seed by winning out at home against the Bears and Seahawks.
They also never have to leave home for the rest of the year as Super Bowl 60 is at Levi’s Stadium in February. So, let’s break down this important Sunday night matchup with our best bets for tonight.
Best Bets for Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers
Tonight’s NFL odds are for a big game between teams who missed the playoffs a year ago. But Ben Johnson has helped the Bears turn things around with a great running game and opportunistic quarterback play from Caleb Williams and a defense that leads the league in takeaways. The Bears also have set an NFL record by winning 6 games after trailing in the final 2:00 of the fourth quarter, including last week’s insane comeback against Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the 49ers have been weathering the injury storms all year behind 9th-year coach Kyle Shanahan, who has shockingly never won the Coach of the Year award for San Francisco. The winner of this game could have the inside track for that, but Shanahan’s done a great job after losing Nick Bosa and Fred Warner on defense, and Brock Purdy has been great in leading the offense since he returned from turf toe last month.
The 49ers haven’t punted since November, and the Bears have been very reliant on takeaways and comebacks. But a George Kittle injury for the 49ers could help even the playing field here.
Sunday Night Odds: 49ers -3
The NFL odds opened at some sportsbooks with the 49ers a 3.5-point home favorite, which has moved down to 3 points, perhaps after the news of George Kittle’s ankle sprain. But the good news is he avoided a serious injury, so you can’t rule him out of this one. Meanwhile, we’ll need to see if the Bears can get some healthy wideouts for Caleb Williams to throw to after he’s been missing Rome Odunze and rookie Luther Burden, and D.J. Moore was shaken up on his game-winning touchdown in overtime to beat the Packers.
The total for this matchup is 52.5 points, which is a bit high for prime time with banged-up receivers and what should be a playoff atmosphere. But the 49ers are coming off a wild 48-27 game against the Colts on Monday night where Brock Purdy threw a career-high 5 touchdowns, and you obviously have two brilliant offensive minds in Johnson and Shanahan.
Sunday Night Picks: 49ers -3
For our best Sunday night prediction, both teams are 10-5 ATS, but we’re backing the hotter team in the 49ers, who have won all 5 games since Purdy returned. He torched this defense last December in a 38-13 home win, and while the Bears have a far better coaching staff, the 49ers still have a talent edge and coaching experience edge with Robert Saleh returning to call the defense this year.
Caleb Williams has been great with the late-game success, but he’s still rough around the edges and misses throws. He’s also missing receivers in terms of health, and the 49ers stopped Jonathan Taylor cold in Indianapolis, so there’s hope they can contain the Chicago running game here while getting Christian McCaffrey going as they often do.
A tight game may historically favor the Bears, but the 49ers’ offensive efficiency has been off the charts for a month, and that should be enough at home in an important game to carry them to covering the 3-point spread for your best NFL picks.
Expert Pick: 49ers -3 (-115) at Bovada
49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Over 66.5 Rushing Yards
With all of the 49ers injured this season, it’s a miracle that Christian McCaffrey has played every game and has carried a huge workload, leading the NFL in touches with 372. With 1,039 rushing yards and 849 receiving yards, he still has a shot at 1,000 yards receiving in addition to 1,000 on the ground, a rare feat.
But the 49ers need to run him in this game. The Bears are 27th in rushing yards allowed and 29th in yards per carry against. They watched 8 different Packers combine for 192 rushing yards last week, but with the way the 49ers center their attack around McCaffrey, he should get the vast majority of carries and shouldn’t have a problem hitting over 66.5 rushing yards.
Expert Pick: Christian McCaffrey Over 66.5 Rushing Yards (-115) at Bovada
Your Gameplan for Sunday Night Football
For your Sunday Night Football gameplan, we like the 49ers to keep things rolling and cover the 3-point home spread against Chicago. For NFL player props, we like San Francisco’s Chrisitan McCaffrey to rush for over 66.5 yards.
You can tail our Sunday Night Football picks, or choose other picks like George Kittle to play and score another touchdown from Brock Purdy in Week 17. Just be sure to remember that timing is key in sports betting, and if you sign up at multiple offshore sportsbooks, you give yourself better options to find the best values and prices for your NFL wagers.
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*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
