Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears NFL Betting Preview

Written by:
C Costigan
Published on:
Oct/01/2020

Two of the surprise teams in the NFL meet up in Week 4 as the 2-1 Indianapolis Colts make the short trip to the Windy City to face the 3-0 Chicago Bears. The Bears made a quarterback change in a comeback win in Week 3, while the Colts pulled off their second straight blowout home win.

This game kicks off at 1 pm ET on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago and will be televised regionally on CBS.

Separated by just 186 miles, these teams have played once every four years since 2000. Overall, the Colts lead the series 24-19, including a 29-17 Super Bowl XVI win in Miami.

The Bears won the most recent matchup in Chicago 41-21 in 2012 and are 3-1 at Soldier Field against the franchise since the Colts moved to Indianapolis. 

Indianapolis Colts Betting Outlook: Dominating Defense 

The Colts are 2-1 ATS this season, and the under is 2-1 in their three games. The Colts defense leads the NFL in scoring defense (15.0 points per game), passing yards allowed (132.0 yards per game) and total yards allowed (235.3 yards per game). The offense is 10th in passing yards (264.7 yards per game), 13th in scoring (28.0 points per game) and 15th in rushing yards (119.3 yards per game).

In Sunday’s 36-7 blowout of the New York Jets, quarterback Philip Rivers completed 17-of-21 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown before sitting out the fourth quarter. On the season, he has completed 78.3% of his passes for 794 yards while throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor ran 13 times for 59 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, while Jordan Wilkins had 39 yards on nine carries. Taylor has 182 yards on 48 carries this season, while Wilkins has 79 yards on 18 carries.

Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton had three catches for 52 yards, while tight end Mo Alie-Cox had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Running back Nyheim Hines was a factor in the passing game as well, grabbing four receptions for 40 yards. Alie-Cox leads the Colts with 181 receiving yards through three games with two touchdowns.

The Colts defense had its second straight three-interception week while also sacking Sam Darnold two times. Safety Xavier Rhodes had two of the interceptions while cornerback T.J. Carrie had the other, his second of the season. Defensive end Justin Houston has 2.5 sacks on the year while defensive end Denico Autry has two. 

Chicago Bears Outlook: Foles Magic 

The Bears are one of seven remaining undefeated teams, and twice so far, they’ve rallied from double-digits down in the fourth quarter. Chicago is 2-1 ATS this season, and the over is 2-1 in their three games. The offense ranks 17th in total yards (368.0 yards per game) and 20th in scoring (24.7 points per game), while the defense ranks ninth in scoring (20.7 points per game) and 15th in yards allowed (364.0 yards per game).

The offense got a jolt Sunday in Atlanta when Matt Nagy called on Nick Foles to replace Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. Trubisky was 13-for-22 for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Foles took over with the Bears down 26-10 and engineered a 30-26 win by going 16-for-29 for 188 yards and three touchdowns.

Trubisky had a 45-yard run, and David Montgomery also tallied 45 yards on 14 carries. Tarik Cohen had 21 yards on two carries before tearing his ACL on a punt return. Montgomery has 191 yards on 43 carries this season with one touchdown.

Sunday’s touchdown passes went to wide receivers Anthony Miller and Allen Robinson, while tight end Jimmy Graham had two scores. Robinson tallied 123 yards on 10 catches, while Graham had 60 yards on six catches.

The defense shut the Falcons down on the last six drives after being torched early. They had two sacks and a game-ending interception from defensive back Tashaun Gipson. Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks has 3.5 sacks on the season, while linebacker Khalil Mack has 1.5. 

Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears NFL Betting Lines BY Scoresandstats 

● Colts spread: -2.5 (-110); Colts moneyline: -140 

● Bears spread: +2.5 (-110); Bears moneyline: +120 

● Total points: 45.0 (over -110, under -110)

The Trubisky era appears done in Chicago, and former Super Bowl MVP Foles will have his hands full with this opportunistic Colts defense. The Monsters of the Midway can help by putting pressure on Rivers and Taylor.

The Colts have survived on ball control and long drives this season with two turnovers in their loss and one total in the two wins.

Free Pick: Under 45 points (-110) 

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