So much for the Nick Foles hype. Mitchell Trubisky will start at quarterback for the Chicago Bears as they open the 2020 NFL season Sunday afternoon against the NFC North rival Lions in Detroit. Trubisky might have outplayed Foles during training camp, but he’s coming off a dreadful 2019 season in which the Bears ranked fourth from the bottom in points per game.
- Date/Time: September 13, 1 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Ford Field
- TV Coverage: Fox
- Sportsbook Odds: Bears -1 | O/U 44.5 (Line History)
- Bears vs Lions Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
This one opened close to a pick’em, but the Lions are now 3-point favorites in most spots. The total of 44.5 has shrunk a half-point at the majority of sportsbooks.
Chicago News & Notes
Ryan Pace’s decision to turn to Trubisky over Foles surprised many; Pace explained that Trubisky won the job outright after showing vast improvement in accuracy and pocket presence during camp. Week 1 might just provide a nice confidence boost for the former No. 2 overall pick, who completed 73.8 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and just one interception vs the Lions in 2019.
As for who will be catching those passes, you can expect plenty of targets for a trio of Chicago receiving threats. Running back Tarik Cohen should see a healthy dose of action with starting RB David Montgomery (groin) out two to four weeks, while the receiving duo of Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller looked strong during camp and will be counted on plenty this season.
Detroit News & Notes
The Lions would love nothing more than to put 2019 behind them after they stumbled to a 3-12-1 SU record (6-10 ATS), losing their last nine after sitting at .500 through the first seven weeks. A big part of their struggles was due to the absence of star quarterback Matthew Stafford (back), who missed the final eight games. Detroit averaged just 17.1 points after he went down.
Stafford being back at full health is an important development given how sensational he looked prior to the injury. Stafford was on pace for nearly 5,000 yards and 38 passing TDs over a full season, though he didn’t have to face the Bears’ solid defense at all. Still, look for the Lions to throw early and often in this one, making the OVER on Stafford’s yardage total a decent prop play.
Betting Pick: OVER 44 (-110)
Detroit’s defensive line is in tatters, so Trubisky should be able to extend the success he had vs the Lions in 2019. And Stafford will happily air it out to help Detroit keep pace. We like this one to go well OVER the total.
- Chicago has won 4 of the last 5 head-to-head meetings.
- Chicago is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 road games.
- Matthew Stafford threw 3+ TD passes in 5 of 8 starts last season.
