CHICAGO BEARS VS. TENNESSEE TITANS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — September 8, 2024

CHICAGO BEARS VS. TENNESSEE TITANS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — September 8, 2024 — Greetings, football fans. Welcome to our NFL coverage here at Godzilla Wins. One of the many games on today’s slate features the Chicago Bears (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) hosting the Tennessee Titans (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS).

Here is a look at which squad has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Kickoff

When: Sunday, September 8, 2024 @ 1:00 PM ET

Where: Soldier Field,  Chicago IL

TV: FOX

Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans – In-Season Stats & Betting Trends

The Bears started the 2023 season 0-4 and produced only two wins through their first nine games. Chicago finished with a 7-10 record thanks to a strong defensive showing.  In what has been one of the most hyped offseasons in recent memory, the Bears’ offense will have a different look. In this year’s draft, they took Caleb Williams from USC with the first pick. They acquired Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. And they selected Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick. These two additions and DJ Moore give the Bears a formidable receiving corps, at least on paper anyway.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Titans’ Brian Callahan will make his coaching debut after the team parted ways with Mike Vrabel.  He spent the previous five years as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. Callahan will look to jumpstart an offense that finished near the bottom of the league in total yards per game (28th), passing yards per outing (29th), and points per game (27th).

Now that we have set the stage for this Week 1 showdown let’s examine the betting trends for both teams.

The Spread

The Bears enter this matchup as a 3.5-point favorite (via OddsShark.com). Here’s a look at how both teams performed against the spread.

• The Bears are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
• Chicago has covered the spread four times in its previous five September outings.
• The Bears were 1-1 ATS last season when installed as a 3.5-point favorite or more.
• Meanwhile, the Titans are 2-4 ATS in their last six matchups against Chicago.
• Tennessee is 2-6 ATS in its last eight season openers.
• The Titans were 2-4 ATS last season when listed as an underdog of at least 3.5 points.

Prediction: Chicago Bears (-3.5)

Over/Under

The current projected over/under total for this matchup is 43.5 points (via Bleacher Nation). Here is why going with the “under” is an intelligent choice.

• The total has gone UNDER seven times in the Bears’ last 10 games.
• The UNDER total is 14-6 in the Titans’ last 20 contests.
• In Tennessee’s last six matchups against NFC teams, the UNDER total is 5-1.
• Chicago and Tennessee averaged 39.1 points per game last season, 4.4 points less than the over/under total.
• The opponents of these teams averaged 43.9 points per contest, 0.4 points more than this game’s total.

Prediction: UNDER 43.5 points

Player Prop Bet

Coming off a 2023 campaign in which he posted career-highs in catches (96), reception yards (1,365), and touchdowns (8), DJ Moore is the key player to watch for the home team. He currently has -115 odds of exceeding 59.5 yards and -115 odds of finishing with less than 59.5 receiving yards (via DraftKings).  Let’s see how his production stacks up against the estimated receiving yards total for this matchup.

• During the 2023 campaign, Moore averaged 80.2 receiving yards per game.
• In one career game against the Titans in 2019, Moore finished with seven receptions totaling 101 yards.
• Moore faced off against NFC teams 12 times last season. In those contests, he averaged 85.9 yards per outing.
• In eight home games last season, Chicago’s top receiver averaged 70.5 yards in those contests.
• Across his last five outings, Moore averaged 72.2 yards per game, exceeding the projected yards total for this matchup three times during that stretch.

Prediction: DJ Moore OVER 59.5 yards