Points Could Be At A Premium As Bears Host 49ers

Neither Chicago (3-4 SU, 3-4 ATS) nor San Francisco (2-4, 1-5) have managed to score more than 18 points in their last two outings. Another low-scoring affair is expected when the teams meet at Soldier Field, where Chicago has gone UNDER the total in 17 of its last 22 games.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The low total of 43.5 wasn’t nearly low enough for early bettors, with action on the UNDER driving the number below 40 at some betting sites by Monday night. San Francisco held steady as a 3.5-point road favorite, bad news for 49ers fans who have seen their team go 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games as chalk.

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San Francisco News & Notes

Even in a driving rainstorm, the 49ers couldn’t hide their struggling secondary last week against Indianapolis. San Francisco committed five pass interference penalties that led to 97 yards and two touchdowns for the Colts, which was ultimately the difference in a 30-18 defeat that dropped San Fran to 0-4 SU and ATS in its last four. The Niners lead the NFL with 14 pass interference penalties this season.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo also made several costly mistakes in his return from a calf injury, losing a fumble and throwing two interceptions. The 49ers committed four turnovers as a team and didn’t do much offensively after Sportsbook the game with a touchdown and a pair of field goals on its first three drives.

“I would guess so,” coach Kyle Shanahan told the Associated Press when asked if Garoppolo will get another start this week ahead of rookie Trey Lance. “We have a lot of things to fix.”

Chicago News & Notes

The Bears also have plenty of work to do following last week’s 38-3 loss at Tampa Bay, and head coach Matt Nagy might not be available to help. Nagy announced Monday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, which would keep him away from Chicago’s practice facility for at least a couple of days this week. It is possible, however, that Nagy returns to coach against San Francisco if he produces a pair of negative tests before Sunday.

COVID-19 concerns are nothing new for the Bears, who lost star linebacker Robert Quinn, tight end Jimmy Graham and two other players prior to the game against the Buccaneers. Chicago then continued to have issues protecting rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who was sacked four times, threw three interceptions and lost a pair of fumbles.

Despite allowing 35 points in the first half Sunday, the Bears still went UNDER the total for the sixth straight time, scoring more than 20 points just once during that span. Don’t expect the offense to spring back to life once the Bears return to Soldier Field, either. There has been an average of 37.4 points scored in Chicago’s last 22 home games, with 17 of those games staying UNDER.

How San Francisco Will Cover

Getting out on the road might be a good thing for San Francisco, which has lost eight of its last nine games at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers also need to make Chicago earn everything it gets offensively by cutting down on penalties and turnovers. 

How Chicago Will Cover

If the Bears weren’t demoralized by their blowout loss at Tampa Bay, maybe it will fire them up to bounce back with a much stronger performance. Chicago’s pass rush could also be a key in forcing the mistake-prone Garoppolo into more costly miscues.

Computer Pick: Bears +3.5

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