Chicago Bears (0-0) vs Cincinnati Bengals (0-0)
Game Info: Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 1:00 pm (Soldier Field)
The Line: Betting Odds: Chicago Bears -3.5 / Cincinnati Bengals +3.5 — Over/Under: 36.5
The Cincinnati Bengals and the Chicago Bears meet Saturday in NFL preseason action from Soldier Field. Here’s a Cincinnati Bengals vs Chicago Bears prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Bengals vs Bears pick. We will examine:
The Cincinnati Bengals recent form and player performance
The Chicago Bears recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Cincinnati Bengals
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Chicago Bears
Recent betting trends in games played between the Bengals and Bears
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Bengals vs Bears game
Cincinnati Bengals Betting Preview
Cincinnati had a pretty rough campaign in 2023. The Bengals ended up going 9-8 overall after a difficult 5-4 start. That effort landed Cincinnati in the basement of a difficult NFC North and out of the playoffs. A couple of late losses to the Steelers and Chiefs kept Cincinnati out of the postseason.
In their first preseason action of the 2024 campaign, the Bengals played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cincinnati went into the locker room with a 7-7 tie but ultimately fell 17-14. QB Joe Burrow finished 5-of-7 with 51 yards and a TD, while Jermaine Burton had three catches for 82 yards and a score.
Chicago Bears Betting Preview
Over on the Bears’ side, they’re coming off a difficult season themselves. Chicago kicked off the season at 0-4 (and 0-14 since the previous season) and ultimately went 7-10 overall. The Bears would land in last place among the NFC North teams, out of the playoffs for the third straight year.
In their preseason opener matchup versus the Texans in the Hall of Fame Game, Chicago took a 21-17 victory. Last weekend versus the Bills, the Bears kept it going with a 33-6 victory. The Bears’ Ian Wheeler did most of the work in that second win, rushing for 43 yards and two scores off five carries.
Cincinnati Bengals Player Prop Facts
- Tee Higgins has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Bengals’ last two September home games against AFC opponents.
- Joe Burrow has recorded 275+ passing yards in each of the Bengals’ last four regular season games against AFC East opponents.
- Zack Moss has recorded 30+ rushing yards in eight of his last nine home appearances.
- Tee Higgins has recorded 93+ receiving yards in each of the Bengals’ last five games as favorites against AFC East opponents.
- Joe Burrow has thrown two or more touchdowns in nine of his last 10 regular season home appearances against AFC opponents.
- Joe Burrow has recorded 25+ completions in each of his last four regular season appearances with the Bengals as home favorites against AFC opponents.
- Geno Stone ranked 2nd in the NFL in interceptions (7) last season.
Chicago Bears Player Prop Facts
- D’Andre Swift has recorded 87+ rushing and receiving yards in each of his last five September home appearances.
- D’Andre Swift has scored a touchdown in each of his three previous Week 1 home appearances.
- D’Andre Swift has recorded 61+ rushing yards in four of his last five appearances with his team as a favorite.
- Keenan Allen has recorded 63+ receiving yards in each of his last nine September home appearances.
- Tremaine Edmunds is just one away from 10 career interceptions (including playoffs).
Cincinnati Bengals vs Chicago Bears Prediction
I’ll probably take a stab on the Bears. Chicago took a while to get going in the Bills matchup, but peeled off 20 points in the fourth quarter for a blowout win. The Bears tallied 340 total yards (199 passing), 6.5 yards per play and 19 first downs. It was a fairly sloppy game though, with Chicago committing eight of the 19 overall penalties.
The Bears have some reasons for optimism this year with QB Caleb Williams on the roster. There’s a big hill to climb here though, as Chicago has made the playoffs with a winning record just once in the last 13 seasons. They should take a big step forward this year regardless, though.