The San Francisco 49ers (2-4) are on the road to Chicago after suffering a loss at home to the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears (3-4), return home after getting stuffed by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Which team will bounce back this week? Below, we’ll take a look at the early NFL odds and best sportsbook to bet with.
The 49ers entered last week as 3.5-point favorites and remain the favored team for this matchup. As for the Bears, they were 11.5-point underdogs in Week 7 and are slight underdogs this week. According to Bovada, San Francisco is a 3.5-point favorite over Chicago with the over/under at 39.5 .
Sunday, October 31, 2021 – 01:00 PM EDT at Soldier Field
The Niners lost their fourth straight game, taking a 30-18 blow by the visiting Colts. It was a rainy evening in the Bay Area and the 49ers trailed by just two points early in the fourth but couldn’t find a way to answer back and cover the small spread.
Starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had an ugly returning performance after missing Week 6 with a calf injury. He completed 16 of 27 pass attempts for 181 yards with just 1 touchdown to 2 interceptions and lost a fumble.
So far this season, Garoppolo is completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards, six touchdowns to four interceptions. Wideout Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle have combined for 875 receiving yards and four touchdowns through the air. On the ground, Elijah Mitchell leads the way with 296 yards and two touchdowns. The Niners’ defense is currently allowing 24.8 points and 324 yards a game. Fred Warner leads the unit with 45 tackles while Nick Bosa has five sacks.
Chicago’s Sunday didn’t look any better in their 38-3 loss to Tampa. In the five turnovers they had, rookie quarterback Justin Fields threw 3 interceptions and lost 2 fumbles. The 2021 first-rounder passed for 184 yards with zero scores and added 38 yards on 8 carries in the ground game. The only bright light to shine in that game was rookie running back, Khalil Herbert, who finished the day with a career-high 100 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Heading into Week 8, Fields is completing 57.3 percent of his passes for 816 yards, two touchdowns and has six interceptions. Wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson II have combined for 595 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the passing game. Their rushing game, however, could be in trouble here as David Montgomery, who leads the way with 309 yards and three touchdowns, is sidelined with a knee sprain. On defense, Chicago has allowed 23.1 points and 341.9 yards per game. Roquan Smith leads the squad with 75 tackles and Khalil Mack has six sacks on the season.
This is a game that I, personally, would stay away from. You’re not sure what you’re going to get. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t even know who will start at QB with both of his quarterbacks suffering injuries. He will likely act as if he’s on the hot seat here after taking a lot of heat following last Sunday’s loss.
Even if Lance starts over Garoppolo, he’s still the better QB over Fields. And at the end of the day, the 49ers have a dangerous offense if they can get it to function correctly. However, if the line moves past 3.5, take the Bears.
Free NFL Pick: San Francisco 49ers -3.5 (-110) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*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.