NFL Football
2010-11-28 - Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Football : United States : NFL : Week 12
Sunday 28 November 2010 - Kickoff 4:15pm ET
9:15pm (British Standard Time)
Chicago Bears (7-3)
The Chicago Bears are leading the NFC North, probabaly one of the surprises of an extremely surprising season. However, many do not believe in this team mainly because of the lack of opponents they have truly had to face. This all changes in the next 6 weeks as the Bears meet some of the cream of both the AFC and the NFC. Chicago are leading the NFC North thanks to a superior head to head record over the Green Bay Packers.
Chicago are once again relying on a dominating Defense, but they are not quite the Monsters of the Midway that people would have come to expect. They lead the NFL in scoring Defense at 14 points per game while being 2nd in Rush Defense and 3rd in Total Defense. Last week, the Defense really stepped up as they held Miami scoreless for only the 2nd time in Miami's history at home, and they sacked Tyler Thigpen 6 times.
The most interesting aspect of this game is how Jay Cutler and the Offense can handle playing against the opportunistic Eagles Defense. Cutler has been sacked 33 times already this season, no surprise that leads the NFL, but the Offensive Line has protected him a bit better since their bye week. Cutler has been sacked just 6 times in the last 3 games and has 5 TD passes to 3 Interceptions.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-3)
The Philadelphia Eagles gained sole possession of the lead in the NFC East last week with a come from behind win over the New York Giants. With Michael Vick at QB, they are considered one of the elite teams in the NFC and a genuine contender to win the whole thing this season. Some have even gone as far as to anoint Vick the MVP even though he has played just 6 games this season.
What makes Vick so appealing to the casual fan is his play making ability. He leads the NFL in passer rating this season at over 100 and has thrown 191 passes without an Interception, a franchise record to start the season. To make things tougher for any Defense planning for him, Vick has 375 yards Rushing, the most for a QB in the NFL, and has 4 TDs in his last 3 games.
And its not just Vick that makes the Eagles look 'for real'. They have a number of other playmakers on the Offense, most notably being LeSean McCoy, who avarages 83 yards per game during the latest 3 game winning run, and DeSean Jackson, who has 2 TDs and over 250 yards in the same length of time.
The Defense has been playing well too. They have 16 Sacks in 5 road games this season and they have 19 Interceptions to lead the NFL. However, they will be missing Asante Samuel in this game due to a knee injury suffered last week against the Giants.
Head to Head
This is the 4th straight season that the two teams will be playing one another, and the 3rd time in a row in Chicago. The Bears won the first 2 of those games, before losing here by 4 points here last season.
Philadelphia are 4-1 at Soldier Field during the last 10 seasons.
Chicago are 2-3 against the spread at home this season while the Eagles are 3-2 on the road.
Prediction
This is an important game, perhaps more so for the Bears to become a genuine team in the NFC. Chicago have been playing well in recent games but they have been up against sides with problems and bad records while the defeats to Washington and Seattle here are a worry.
Philadelphia have the capabilities to put up big points in games and this could present a problem for the Bears, even with their tough Defense on board. The problem is that Michael Vick can hurt teams through the air and the ground and the Secondary for the Bears has been suspect at some points this season.
Its another game that could be close for a while, but I would expect the Eagles to finish with the win and will take them minus the points here.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Chicago Bears 20-24 Philadelphia Eagles
