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31-13 run
ncaab: arizona -13
31-13 run
ncaab: arizona -13
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Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles: What bettors need to know
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles (-8, 47)
THE STORY: The Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles both seek their third straight victory when the teams square off at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday night. Chicago will be playing its first game on North American soil since a 39-10 home triumph over Minnesota on Oct. 16. The Bears posted a 24-18 win over Tampa Bay in London on Oct. 23 before enjoying their bye last week. Philadelphia has rebounded from four straight losses by recording consecutive victories over NFC East rivals Washington and Dallas in which it has allowed a total of 20 points while scoring 54. Chicago has won three of its last four meetings with the Eagles, including its most recent visit to the City of Brotherly Love in October 2007.
TV: ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET.
LINE: Eagles -8, O/U 47.
WEATHER: Clear skies are expected with only 4 mph winds blowing WSW. The temperature should be around 46 degrees.
ABOUT THE BEARS (3-4): Running back Matt Forte is anything but happy with his current situation. Forte, who leads the NFL with 1,091 yards from scrimmage, has a base salary of just $555,000 this season and feels he is vastly underpaid considering his workload. Furthermore, the 25-year-old is likely to receive the team's franchise player tag instead of the lucrative contract extension he is seeking, a probability that had Forte voicing his displeasure and questioning the Bears' loyalty during the week. Forte gained 117 yards on 14 carries in a home win over Philadelphia last season.
ABOUT THE EAGLES (4-3): LeSean McCoy poses a major test for Chicago's run defense. McCoy, who has scored at least one rushing touchdown in six of Philadelphia's seven games, is coming off a career-best 185-yard effort in last Sunday's 34-7 rout of Dallas and is averaging a league-high 107.7 yards per contest. McCoy caught a TD pass in his only game without a score on the ground, making him the only player in the league to find the end zone in every contest this season.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is 0-3 lifetime as a starter against the Bears. In five career meetings, Vick has been sacked 15 times, thrown three interceptions and fumbled on seven occasions.
2. Chicago has allowed a total of 83 rushing yards in its last two contests.
3. Each of the last four meetings between the Eagles and Bears has been decided by five points or less.
TRENDS:
- Philadelphia is 3-7 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
- Chicago is 5-2 against the spread in its last seven Monday games.
- The underdog is 7-2 against the spread in the last nine meetings between these two teams.
- The under is 20-8 in Chicago's last 28 road games.
PREDICTION: Eagles 31, Bears 21. Philadelphia continues its turnaround as Vick finally gets in the win column against Chicago.Comment
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Monday Night Debate: Who'll cover the spread?
Finally, a Monday Night Football game worth watching. In honor of the seemingly rare event, we’ve recruited the help of scholars for both the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles to get us properly prepped to bet this baby.
Mike Burzawa of BearGogglesOn.com, a one-stop shop for all da superfans out dair, tackles our questions on Chicago, while Jim Kempski from the constantly updated Eagles blog BleedingGreenNation.com dishes the goods on Philly.
BEARS BREAKDOWN
Covers.com staff: It seems like there are a few Bears (Lance Briggs, Matt Forte, etc.) vocally upset about their contract situations. Do you think it’s been a distraction to the team this season?
BearGogglesOn.com: There is definitely a bad vibe around the team with some of the contract stuff, especially Forte's situation, but it hasn't found its way onto the field. Forte is having an All-Pro season and Briggs has quietly been leading the team in tackles. I give a lot of credit to head coach Lovie Smith and the veteran leaders on this team for separating the business side from the football side.
CS: Chicago’s completely shut down the run game for opponents in its last two games. Is this stopper unit still one of the five best in the league or were Tampa Bay and Minnesota just favorable matchups?
BGO: Tampa was beat up and essentially down to their third string running back most of the game, so I'll chalk that one up to a favorable matchup. Any time you go against Adrian Peterson, even if you know he's getting the ball, it's a tough matchup. He can make the best defenders look foolish, so I'll give credit to the Bears defense for shutting down Purple Jesus. I guess Monday night will be the tiebreaker against LeSean McCoy.
CS: Tell us why we shouldn’t worry about Chicago’s offensive line going against the Eagles pass rush.
BGO: I wish I could tell you that, but the Eagles defensive line scares the heck out of me. Cole and Babin could give the Bears tackles fits. The best thing the Bears can do to combat the aggressive Eagles defensive front is to run some quick hitting pass plays and screens to Matt Forte and 3-step drops by Cutler. If Mike Martz gets too pass happy with his usual 7-step drops going against the Eagles and their Wide 9 front and it could be a rough day for Jay Cutler.
Final score prediction: The Bears will keep it close, but in the end they don't have enough firepower to keep up with the high flying Eagles.
Eagles 23, Bears 17
EAGLES BREAKDOWN
Covers.com staff: It’s been asked about Andy Reid many times in the past, but we’ll ask again: Are the Eagles better off as a run-first offense?
BleedingGreenNation.com: The Eagles are the No. 1 ranked run offense in the league (just under 180 rushing yards per game), averaging more than 20 more yards per game than the next closest team (the Raiders). However, that's a smidge misleading. With Michael Vick averaging 60 rushing yards per game on what are called pass plays, "only" 120 of the 180 are coming on actual rushes.
Opposing teams are forced to give a ton of respect to the speed of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and they've been showing a lot of soft, deep cover 2 looks, which has opened up enormous holes for LeSean McCoy in the run game. I don't think the Eagles need to have the mindset of being "run-first" or "pass-first." They do both extremely well, so they're in a position where they can take what the defense gives them and make them pay either way.
CS: There’s been a lot of talk about the adjustments made to the defensive line wide-9. Do you think it’s enough to make up for a weak linebacking group?
BGN: They've made two changes that I've seen. First, as you noted, the wide 9. In the wide 9, the two DEs line up far wide, outside the TE. It allows guys like Jason Babin and Trent Cole to attack the QB, but has left the defense vulnerable up the middle in the run game. They now only line up outside the TE on obvious passing downs, and have pinched in a bit otherwise. Secondly, the linebackers are lining up closer to the line of scrimmage.
Offensive linemen were previously getting to the second level and blowing the Eagles linebackers off the ball. By positioning the LBs closer to the LOS, the Eagles defensive unit has done a better job meeting opposing O linemen in the hole before they've been able to get a head of steam. The LBs, as you noted, aren't very good as a whole, but they've been vastly improved in the past two Eagles wins.
CS: A lot of people are back on the Eagles bandwagon. Oddsmakers have the Eagles back as the favorites to win the NFC East and third faves – behind Green Bay and New Orleans – to win the conference. Do you think this is an overreaction or has this team really figured things out?
BGN: I think what people saw Sunday night was the Eagles’ "A" game. When the Eagles have their "A" game going, they can beat anybody, and that includes the Packers. It's just a matter of consistency. Obviously, they're loaded with talent. I don't think there's much to dispute there. Are they going to play like they did Sunday night every week? No. But are they an extremely dangerous team? You bet they are.
Final score prediction: Eagles 27, Bears 16Comment
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Monday’s betting tips: Can Vick finally solve Bears?
Who’s hot
NFL: Chicago is 5-2 against the spread in its last seven Monday games.
NHL: The over is 5-1 in Boston’s last six games.
NHL: San Jose is 6-2 in its last eight.
NCAAB: The over is 8-3 in Arizona’s last 11 home games.
Who’s not
NFL: Philadelphia is 1-3 straight up and against the spread in its last four meetings with Chicago. Mike Vick is 0-3 straight up in three starts against the Bears, taking 10 sacks.
NHL: The New York Islanders are 1-8 in their last nine trips to Boston.
NHL: Los Angeles has dropped four in a row.
NCAAB: Mississippi State is 5-11-2 in its last 18 home games.
Key stat
18 – The Chicago Bears are 57-10 straight up since 2004 when they score 18 or more points. The Bears are averaging 24.3 points per game this season.
Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked
Quinn McDowell, William and Mary – McDowell averaged 15.5 points per game last season, but may have trouble with his knee to start the season. The meniscus separated from the capsule in his right knee before preseason practice and while he’s listed as probable for Monday’s game at St. John’s, it’s thought his knee still isn’t 100 percent. William and Mary is set as an 8-point underdog.
Game of the day
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles (-8, 47)
Notable quotable
“We just got better by leaps and bounds (last season) and I hope we can do it again. It’s not about panicking as much as being very realistic that here’s our starting point and here are the things we need to do get better. We better get a lot better or Valparaiso is going to come in (Monday) and beat us.” – Arizona coach Sean Hill ahead of the basketball Wildcats’ season opener Monday against Valparaiso. The Wildcats are set as 13-point favorites with a 137.5-point total.
Notes and tips
Mississippi State's Kristers Zeidaks has been ruled ineligible for the entire season in addition to the first 11 games of next season. Zeidaks earned the ban for playing with and against professional players in his home country of Latvia. The 21-year-old will enroll at Mississippi State and begin taking classes in the fall while waiting to regain his eligibility. The Bulldogs host Eastern Kentucky as 17-point favorites Monday.
The Los Angeles Kings shuffled their lines for Sunday’s practice in an effort to give the offense a boost. Dustin Penner, who has just one assist in 11 games, is catching a lot of heat for his slow start but may be featured on the second line for Monday’s game against San Jose. He practiced with Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar Sunday. The Kings are set as +125 underdogs at San Jose.Comment
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Ice picks: Monday's best NHL bets
New York Islanders at Boston Bruins (-195, 5)
Maybe the Boston Bruins have finally snapped out of their post-Cup funk.
Boston hammered the Maple Leafs 7-0 in Toronto Saturday night, winning consecutive games for the first time all season. Tyler Seguin, who landed in Boston as a part of the Phil Kessel trade, picked up his first career hat trick and now leads the club with 14 points in 12 games.
"Guys just need to get back in the rhythm, some of us are slowly starting to get it now," Seguin told reporters ahead of Saturday’s win. Now it's just about consistency and if we're going to continue to do that or if we are going to go back into the hole."
The win over Toronto gives the Bruins some swagger as they get set to open a nice stretch at home. Meanwhile, this is the beginning of a mini road trip for the Islanders, who just upset Washington to snap a six game losing streak.
Too much chalk on the home team, so we’ll stick with the total.
Pick: Over
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks (-140, 5)
The Los Angeles Kings are trying to stay positive, but a four-game losing skid is beginning to wear on them.
With Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier in the crease, the Kings haven’t had to worry much about their defense. The main problem has been at the other end of the rink. They have been held to two or fewer goals in seven of their last eight.
"We're trying to find a way to be more creative out there, to get our defensemen more involved,” forward Justin Williams told reporters. “It's just the way teams play (defensively) right now. It's five guys down real low, and when we don't use our defensemen, it's kind of like playing 3-on-5 down there, and that's tough. So we're trying to get them more involved and be a little more imaginative."
They could have a good shot at doing just that against San Jose. The Sharks usually don’t have any problems on offense, but they do struggle in their own end and kill off just 73 percent of their penalties.
Pick: OverComment
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BANG THE BOOK
Monday's Best NFL Bet
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles (-8, 47)
Monday Night Football betting action continues this week with a big time duel in the NFC playoff race between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears.
Here we go again with QB Jay Cutler playing in primetime football… His struggles in games like this are clearly documented over the years, and his iffy showing against the Detroit Lions in primetime a few weeks ago was just another struggle for he and his Bears. The team only put up 13 points that week, though it was the only game this year in which Cutler completed over 70 percent of his passes. The Bears have a real problem right now, as RB Matt Forte is squabbling over a contract. The team really should pay him more money, as he is a minimum wage player that is arguably the best all around running back in the league. Forte has rushed for 672 yards and picking up 38 receptions for 419 yards, totaling three touchdowns. He is averaging a whopping 23.1 touches per game, if he keeps this up, he could legitimately be a 1,500 yard rusher and a 1,000 yard receiver. Distractions aren’t what the defending NFC North champs need right now, as they are 4-3 and in a three way tie for the last Wild Card spot in the conference.
Have the Eagles really turned the corner? Over the course of the last two games, they won on the road at the Washington Redskins and destroyed the Dallas Cowboys here at Lincoln Financial Field. Their defense, which was much maligned over the course of the first month of the year, has suddenly only allowed a total of 20 points in the last two weeks. QB Michael Vick hasn’t had nearly the same type of year that he had last year when he was arguably shafted out of the MVP Award, but he still has reasonable numbers. He has thrown for 1,852 yards and rushed for 423 more. The key over these last two weeks though, had nothing to do with Vick. RB LeSean McCoy has run the ball 58 times over the course of those two games, and he has 311 yards and three TDs to show for it. Again, there’s still a question whether this team has really gotten its mojo back or not, and if not and this game is lost, all of a sudden, the team is could be three games out of the playoffs with just half the season to play.
Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles Pick: Jay Cutler. On the road. On Monday Night Football. Against a team that really does seem like it has gotten on track and is playing like a Super Bowl contender. In a game that the hosts really can’t afford to lose. There really isn’t a reasonable spread that the oddsmakers could put on the board that would cause us to want to back the Bears in this one. Take the Eagles to fly high on Monday night.
PICK: Philadelphia Eagles -7.5Comment
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Arthur Ralph Sports
749- 548 57 % Free Play Run over 3 YEARS
Free play Mon: CBB St John's -8Comment
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Gamblers Data
Free Play Monday
Arizona/Valparaiso over 137Comment
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