Thursday Night NFL Betting: Chicago Bears vs San Francisco 49ers

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers

Thursday, November 12 – Candlestick Park – 8:20 PM ET

NFL Odds : 49ers -3, O/U: 41.5

This is a huge game for both teams. Aside from the fact that 49ers Coach Mike Singletary will be coaching against the team he made his name for, this matchup has huge playoff implications. The Bears are 4-4 and are coming off an embarrassing 41-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home. Chicago has lost 3-of-4 and is falling fast from the NFC Wild Card Race (the 7-1 Vikings will make it almost impossible for a Chicago Bears division title).  

The San Francisco 49ers situation is a little less daunting, but still troublesome. San Fran sits at 3-5 after losing four straight, but is still only two games back from the 5-3 Cardinals for the NFC West lead. A few wins here and a couple of Cards losses there would put the Niners back in contention, but that has to begin with a win at home against a struggling Bears team. It will take a lot of luck for a 3-6 team to make the playoffs, even in the less-than-stellar NFC West.  
 
What The Bears Have To Do To Win

Jay Cutler has been good, but not the savior the Chicago Bears were hoping for when they traded two Number 1 picks for him last summer. Cutler has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, but has also thrown 12 picks. Another disappointment has been the play of Matt Forte. Forte lit up the league last season, but has only 441 yards and three touchdowns so far in the campaign. His struggles are a big part of the overall struggles of the team.  

Despite this, the onus falls on the offensive line to improve their play. With better protection and more time to create plays, Jay Cutler will be less inclined to make bad throws. With better run blocking, Forte will be able to find holes and exploit a struggling San Francisco defense. Portions of the blame can be placed on Cutler and Forte, but without a top-notch offensive line protecting them, there’s really nothing more they can do.  

What The 49ers Have To Do To Win

The Bears were absolutely awful against the run on Sunday, and may be even worse if Tommie Harris is unable to play. Harris is under investigation from the league for a post-play punch on Arizona guard Deuce Lutui, and may face a one-game suspension for his actions. Should Harris be out, the game plan becomes simple for San Fran: run the ball, and run it hard. The Bears run defense allowed 182 yards on the ground to an Arizona team that was dead last in the NFL in rushing yards per game. A strong rushing game by Gore and the rest of the Niners will make a win that much easier to obtain.  

Quarterback Alex Smith won’t have to do much against the Bears. A simple game with no mistakes should be enough. But for Smith, simple is much easier said than done.  

Outlook & Pick:

Both of these teams are playing for playoff positioning, so expect a lot of intensity. Coach Singletary will no doubt have fun playing against his former team, and his energy may be the difference if it inspires the rest of his team. Neither team has been playing particularly inspiring ball as of late, and the team that falls may lose all of their hope for the rest of the year. The Niners are playing at home, which is kind of an advantage, and the Bears defense is looking worse and worse as the season goes on. Totally Niners.  
 
Pick: 49ers -3 & under 41.5