SNF Bears vs. Chargers Week 8 odds and predictions
Every week, VSiN will be doing an in-depth dive on the week’s Sunday Night Football game. In Week 8, that game features the Los Angeles Chargers hosting the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. This is a game that looks like it should go Los Angeles’ way, but who knows with the Chargers? With that out of the way, keep reading for our Bears vs. Chargers preview, picks and player props.
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How To Watch Bears vs. Chargers
Date: Sunday, October 29
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC
Bears vs. Chargers Spread
With Justin Fields out against the Raiders last week, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent stepped in and played a decent game for the Bears. Bagent completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown and he also ran for 24 yards. Nothing that the 23-year-old did jumped off the page, but he got the ball out on time and gave his playmakers a chance. He also made some plays with his legs when he needed to. However, there is now some film on Bagent for the Chargers to study. And while this Los Angeles secondary isn’t great, it will be harder for Bagent to avoid a shaky performance two weeks in a row — especially with this being a road game.
Chicago also rushed for 173 yards in last week’s win over Las Vegas, with D’Onta Foreman leading the way with 89 yards and two scores on the ground. That’s another thing that I don’t think is replicable heading into Week 8, even with Los Angeles being just 23rd in the league in Defensive DVOA against the run. If the Chargers can’t stop the rushing attack even when they know it’s coming, they might not be the playoff-caliber team that we thought they were heading into the year.
Offensively, I think the Chargers will get back on track here. Their offense stalled after a hot start in Kansas City last week, but facing a Bears defense that is 28th in the league in Defensive DVOA should get them going. Chicago is especially weak when defending the pass, as the team is 30th in DVOA in that regard. So, Justin Herbert should put up some monster numbers in the passing game. That would make it hard for Bagent and the Bears offense to keep up, even if they find a little more success than expected here. And overall, all of that makes it hard not to view this as a potential blowout in favor of Los Angeles.
The Bears are also just 2-8 against the spread as road underdogs of 7.5 to 14 points over the last three seasons. On top of that, they’re 2-8 ATS when coming off a win in that span.
Bears vs. Chargers Total
The Over has hit in six of the seven games that the Bears have played this season, which isn’t too surprising considering how bad their defense has been. Now, Chicago faces a Los Angeles team that has a good offense and a weak defense. So, it’s hard to see this game not being somewhat high scoring. And that’s especially true when you consider that the Over is 15-10-1 when the Chargers have played as favorites over the last three seasons.
It might be hard to bet the Over in a game with Bagent as one of the two quarterbacks, but the important thing to remember here is that the Chargers passing game should do most of the heavy lifting. You’re likely only going to need a few successful drives out of the Bears, and I think 20+ points from Chicago is realistic against this Los Angeles defense.
Bears vs. Chargers Player Props
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Justin Herbert Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns
Not only do I expect Herbert to throw for two touchdowns in this game, but I actually think there’s a decent shot he has three or four through the air here. Chicago has already allowed at least three passing touchdowns three times this season, and the team now faces one of the better downfield passers in the league. With that in mind, I think the Bears are at risk of getting beat over the top on multiple occasions in this game. And I also think Keenan Allen’s route running ability will have him open constantly here. That could mean a touchdown for the highly productive wideout, but what it should really mean is that Los Angeles will march the ball down the field in this game. That’ll give Herbert plenty of chances to cash this in.
Bears vs. Chargers Prediction
While I do like the Chargers to win and cover in this game, spreads of 7 or more haven’t been all that kind to me this season. With that in mind, I think the best bet to make on this game would be to play the Over. That will allow you to root for Los Angeles to score points, but you won’t have to worry when Chicago inevitably has a drive or two that looks far easier than expected. I’m going to mark this one down as one of my Week 8 best bets. I like it a lot.
Bet: Over 46.5
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