Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 18

The Bears and Lions square off in the regular-season finale in Chicago. Eric Timm provides his preview and picks for this NFC North battle of backups.
Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 18

Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 18

After a brief hiatus, and a dominating win covering the Baltimore/Green Bay game, I'm back to cover OUR Chicago Bears to close the regular season. 

Week 18 is always an interesting handicap, with teams eliminated from the playoffs, and others resting guys for the playoffs. I think we know we can count on Detroit playing hard for Dan Campbell, but that hasn't amounted to much in the last few weeks when the Lions actually needed to win. I'm not sure anyone knows how the Bears will handle this week, as they haven't been in this position recently, and certainly not under Ben Johnson. That all sounds like a very promising and confident lead-up, doesn't it? 

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Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Betting Odds

  • Spread: Bears -3.5 (Caesars), Lions +3.5 (Fanatics)
  • Moneyline: Bears -185 (DraftKings), Lions +166 (FanDuel)
  • Total: Over 50.5 (BetRivers), Under 51 (BetMGM)

The line opened with Chicago -1.5, and has risen to -3.5 through the week. The common thought is Chicago is the better team, and Detroit has packed up for the season, but I'm not so sure on that last stance. 

The total opened at 50.5 and has stayed right there, which is a bit interesting to me. In my mind, if money is coming in on the perceived better team, the total usually goes up as well. With 66 percent of the money, and 70 percent of the bets on the Over, this is interesting to me. It is almost as if the books are happy taking all that Over money. 

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Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Betting Picks

I have absolutely no idea who is going to win this game, so like the Ravens/Packers piece last week, I'll be avoiding the side. 

For this one, I really like the value on the Under with this large total. For one, I think this will be a VERY fast-moving game with a lot of safe plays involving backups. For another, Soldier Field generally slows down the scoring all by itself. And finally, the fact the books haven't budged off the number makes me think they feel very confident they are on the right side with no adjustment necessary. With both teams playing hard but conservative, I see this being a relatively low-scoring affair. 

 Bears vs Lions Best Bet: Under 51 (BetMGM)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric is celebrating his 22nd season as a featured handicapper with Nelly's Sportsline! He specializes in the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and MLB. His positive demeanor coupled with a steady and measured approach has helped his clients attain both short and long-term success, making him one of the most respected handicappers in the Midwest.
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