Sunday Night Football – Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears

November 22, 2009   ·   theboss   ·   Jump to comments

Sunday, November 22nd - 8:20 PM ET
Soldier Field – Chicago, IL

NFL Point Spread: Eagles -3, O/U: 45

Two teams with two-game losing streaks meet in late November. Two cities that strongly identify with their football teams are on edge. This will be a tense Sunday night in the Windy City as Philadelphia and Chicago Bears, both hovering near .500, will try to establish a winning identity for the remainder of the season. The Philadelphia Eagles still have a chance to catch division-leading Dallas in the NFC East, while the Bears – out of Minnesota’s range in the NFC North – are trying to gain a wild card slot. This game won’t make the winner, but it will break the loser.

NFL Handicapping: What The Eagles Have To Do To Win

Win short-yardage situations. It’s been a longstanding and familiar bugaboo for Andy Reid’s Eagle teams: Philadelphia’s offense simply can’t produce on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1. A key fourth-down failure burned the Eagles two weeks ago against Dallas, and last week at San Diego, Philly’s offense got stopped on 3rd and goal from the 1. All told, quarterback Donovan McNabb and the rest of Reid’s playmakers got stopped on three separate trips inside the 10. Final score: San Diego: 31, Philadelphia 23. Unless or until the Eagles can gain two yards on 3rd and 1, they’re not going to thrive.

NFL Handicapping: What The Bears Have To Do To Win

Get a clue on offense. Whether the answer is beleaguered starting quarterback Jay Cutler or backup Caleb Hanie, Bears coach Lovie Smith has to see some productivity. Cutler threw five interceptions last week in a 10-6 loss at San Francisco. Five interceptions usually lead to a bloodbath, but on a night when Chicago’s defense kept the 49ers at bay, Cutler couldn’t provide even one touchdown for his team. It’s not as though Cutler has to be spectacular; solid and steady is all the Bears want. If nothing changes this week in Chi-Town, there’s no way the home team will be able to upend the Eagles.

NFL Handicapping: Outlook & Pick

As the saying goes, “you can’t put lipstick on a pig.” The pig is Jay Cutler, and nothing the Bears do seems likely to reverse a mentally ruined quarterback’s pronounced tailspin. The Eagles got dissected by Tony Romo and Philip Rivers in their last two games; they should be delighted now that they get to face a truly subpar quarterback this weekend.

NFL Point Spread Pick: Eagles -3 & Under

NFL Prop Betting: Team To Score First And Score In First Six Minutes

Neither one of these teams is playing with considerable confidence or consistency. No points in the first six minutes is a decent bet. The Eagles should dent the scoreboard first because… well… Jay Cutler is playing for the Bears. It doesn’t get any simpler than that, does it?

NFL Prop Betting Pick: Eagles Will Score First, Not Score In First Six Minutes