The NFL’s offseason is officially on the brink of a conclusion for the Bears, who open up their four-game preseason slate on Thursday against the Denver Broncos.
And with the official return of football games comes the official return of wagering on football games. And while I wouldn’t push you to gamble on the Bears’ first practice game of 2017, I’ll take into consideration that it’s preseason for gamblers, too.
With that being said, the first game of the season between the Bears and Broncos opened as a Pick ‘Em, according to Covers.com. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, because Thursday’s Bears-Broncos tilt is one of five Pick ‘Em games on the preseason slate this weekend. The over-under for the game opened at 36.5.
Pro Football Reference notes the Bears were 7-9 against the spread last year, but were winners in five of their last seven and six of their last nine. The over came in eight times, as did the under. On the other side of the field, the Broncos were 9-7 against the spread as they defended their Super Bowl title. The under (9) came in more often than the over (7) for Denver in 2016.
And in case you’re curious, the Bears’ win total has stayed steady at 5.5 games over at Bovada. A risk-taking gambler could win $110 for every $100 put down if the Bears won 6 games or more in 2017.