Baltimore Ravens vs Chicago Bears Point Spread Picks

There aren't many people who would have said at the start of the season that the Ravens would be 1-5. Many will say Lamar Jackson is the reason for the start in terms of injuries. The problem with that is it doesn't solve the problem. Jackson started four games this year, and Baltimore is averaging 31.6 ppg, yet the Ravens are 1-3. It's the defense. The Ravens' nonexistent defense is allowing 32 ppg. The Bears have surprised at 4-2. The Bears have a solid enough offense to stay in this game, or even get a backdoor cover. The Bears have had just one bad game vs. Detroit; they have won four of their other five games, and the only loss was by three points. I like Chicago.

Baltimore has had three extra days to recover from what went wrong in a 22-10 loss as an 8.5-point favorite to the lowly Dolphins. Lamar Jackson completed 26 of 43 for 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he failed to get much going offensively overall or in the red zone. The most likely reason for the Ravens' performance was they were coming off an overtime win against Minnesota just four days before and had to play on a short week. That won't be a problem here with nine days off between games, and Chicago has lost four in a row. Just as Justin Fields is getting more comfortable at quarterback, the defense has let the team down, giving up an average of 33.3 points the last three games, including a 29-27 loss at Pittsburgh on Nov. 8. The Bears have stayed UNDER six of their last eight games, and Baltimore went UNDER by 14 points against Miami. The UNDER is 6-1 in the Ravens' last seven road games and Chicago is 17-6 UNDER its last 23 home games. Also, the Bears are 16-5 UNDER following an ATS win. Baltimore is 6-3 straight up and 3-6 ATS. Take the Ravens on the moneyline and the UNDER for a Max Play.

Chicago has a new coach in Matt Nagy, who brings an energetic personality to the Bears, who are anxious to erase the memory of four straight last-place finishes in the NFC North. The Bears added some more weapons for starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky by signing wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel along with tight end Trey Burton. Trubisky was adequate in 2017, considering he didn't have much help on offense, but the Bears hope to change that with the new players and Nagy's experience as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs. Also, Nagy played six seasons in the Arena Football League, which could bring a new perspective in Trubisky's learning experience. Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray are the backups at quarterback and both should get some playing time. Daniel is in his eighth season but has played sparingly the last three years with the Saints, Eagles and Chiefs. Bray made one brief appearance with the Chiefs in 2017. Baltimore's QB rotation is Joe Flacco, Robert Griffin III, Lamar Jackson and Josh Woodrum. The rookie Jackson has beaten out by Griffin III on the depth chart and Woodrum has been signed by six different teams, but hasn't played in the regular season. Woodrum was 25-of-36 for 321 yards and four touchdowns in the 2017 preseason and then was waived. The oddsmakers always posts a very low total for the Hall of Fame game, however, last year's contest between the Cowboys and Cardinals went OVER. Nagy and the Bears want to make a good first impression, especially on offense. The Bears are also 15-3 to the OVER in their last 18 preseason games with a total set at 35 or less. Play the OVER to get the season started.

Chicago started Mitchell Trubisky and he finished 12-of-25 for 128 yards with a touchdown, but a costly interception late in the game was the difference as the Bears lost 20-17 on Monday night. Jordan Howard ran for 76 yards for the Bears, who gained 115 yards on the ground. Baltimore had its best offensive showing of the season in beating Oakland 30-17 with Joe Flacco completing 19-of-26 for 222 yards. The Ravens snapped a two-game losing streak and still have allowed 87 points their last three games. Chicago got the money against Minnesota and it has covered the spread five of its last six against teams with winning records and the Bears are 8-3 ATS their last 11 games after a loss dating to last season. Baltimore has not had much success in the month of October in recent years as it is 5-16-1 ATS in 22 games. The posted total is low for this matchup, but Baltimore's defense has been a disappointment so far as it's ranked #19 in the NFL in yards allowed and Chicago has given up an average of 24.8 points per game. Ravens are laying too many points in this matchup, so play the Bears and the OVER.

The defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens were supposed to take a step or two back on defense with a lot of losses in the offseason. They were not concerned, as Joe Flacco seemed to be on his way to elite status at QB. The oddity here is that the Ravens' offense has really struggled, while the defense has gotten its old swagger back and has been playing well. After getting torched by Peyton Manning in week one, the defense has not allowed more than 24 points in any of the eight games, and considerably less than that in many of them. Since that Broncos loss, this team is allowing just 17.5 points per game - a number that ranks int he top five in the league! Chicago has once again lost the services of Jay Cutler to a high-ankle sprain and it is just a matter of time before Josh McCown implodes. The Baltimore defense may be the best he has seen in a limited role this season. The Ravens have been powerful when facing a team with a winning record where they are 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 such games. The Bears come in at 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 after allowing 350+ yards in their previous contest. Chicago has also choked in expected close games recently going 2-9 ATS since last season in games with a line in the -3 to +3 range. Meanwhile, under Jon Harbaugh, the Ravens thrive in this role having gone 26-16 ATS in games with that spread range. Take the points on Baltimore.