The Cincinnati Bengals will head on the road to face the Chicago Bears in week 2 of the NFL regular season. The last time these two played back in 2017, Chicago’s Andy Dalton was the starter for the Bengals in a 33-7 defeat.
The Bears are coming off a 34-14 beatdown on the road against the LA Rams. They had two costly turnovers early that led to points for the Rams, and the Bears never recovered. Andy Dalton was underwhelming with a QBR of 37.8 and displaying an inability to move the downfield. David Montgomery was the lone bright spot on offense, averaging 6.8 yards per carry for 108 yards and a touchdown. Defensively they had no answers for the Matthew Stafford-led Rams, as they allowed over 300 yards of passing on the day. He was not pressured either, as they only managed a sack and four QB hits.
The Bengals won a thriller in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings, 27-24 at home. It was a consistent effort on offense. Joe Burrow was 20/27 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Jamar Chase picked up where he left off at LSU, hauling in five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Joe Mixon also got it done on the ground, averaging 4.4 yards a carry for 127 yards and a touchdown. Their defense was bad against the pass, allowing 336 yards, but they sacked Kurt Cousins three times and forced a fumble. They also limited the Vikings to three yards per carry totaling 67 yards on the ground.
Chicago is 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games, 3-7 on the money line, and the over is 7-3.
Cincinnati is 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games, 4-6 on the money line, and the over is 5-4-1.
Cincinnati looked good in their week one win, despite needing overtime to get it done. The Vikings have a potent attack, but they were able to keep them relatively contained. Their offense also looked promising, getting production from a variety of skill players with Joe Burrow making great decisions. Chicago is not going to go far with Dalton under center; he completed 71.1 percent of his throws but only averaged 5.4 yards per attempt in week one. The Bengals defense will be able to stifle this Bears predictable offense, and we will all start hearing the calls for Justin Fields from the Chicago faithful. Give me the Bengals.