Chicago Bears vs Atlanta Falcons
In a battle of 2-3 teams, the Bears and the Falcons battle at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta as Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White look to continue their success at home this season while Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and the Bears look to even up their season record and improve to 2-1 on the road.
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Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Start time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta, GA
Stadium: Georgia Dome
TV info: Fox
Live stream: NFL Sunday Ticket
Radio: Bears broadcast here. Falcons broadcast here.
Ticket info: For Bears ticket info click here. For Falcons ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
The keys for the Bears is simple. Don’t turn the ball over. The Bears committed three turnovers on their final three possessions in last Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers when they blew a 24-10 halftime lead. One week earlier, Cutler threw a pair of costly interceptions in the loss to the Green Bay Packers, so if the Bears win the turnover battle, they should win the game.
Atlanta will try to get their running game going against a mediocre Bears rush defense and the return of Justin Blalock at his guard position should provide a bit more room for Steven Jackson and help an injury line who has been hit hard by the injury bug. Ryan has had tremendous success in the Georgia Dome and that could continue if he connects with Jones on some long throws against a Bears pass defense that can be vulnerable after allowing six touchdowns through the air in the last two games.
Betting Odds
Point spread: ATL -3.5
Moneyline: – 175
Over/Under: 53.5
Prediction
Ryan is 201 against the Bears in his career and is tough to beat at home where the Falcons have been unstoppable this year on offense, as they’re averaging more than 40 points per game this year in the Georgia Dome, so this could turn in to a shootout if Cutler and the Bears can hold on to the ball and match the Falcons score for score. Both teams are coming off troubling losses where they blew double-digit leads in the second half, but the Falcons are at home and the Bears don’t have a pass rush to disrupt Ryan, so I like the Falcons to get to .500 in this one.
Final Score: Falcons: 34, Bears: 28
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