The NFL season is finally upon us! For both the Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills, it can’t come soon enough with both teams having missed the playoffs once again last year.
Can rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins deliver the goods in his debut and re-energize a Bills’ passing game that was lackluster last year? Can Jay Cutler prove the doubters wrong and justify the Bears’ investment in him?
Read on for an in-depth analysis of this game and while you’re at it you can check out our regular season record predictions as well as our preview of the Seahawks-Packers season opener on Thursday.
[sc:Football ]Buffalo Bills vs. Chicago Bears (1:00 PM ET)
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
When: Sunday, September 7, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Buffalo Bills (+6) at Chicago Bears (-6); total: 48.5 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Buffalo Bills
It might only just be his second year in the league but the pressure is definitely on quarterback EJ Manuel to deliver for the Buffalo Bills this year.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Last year, Manuel posted disappointing numbers, throwing for just 1,972 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing only 58.8 percent of his passes. Apart from that, health was also an issue for the former Florida State QB as he only managed to play 10 games in the league last season.
That being said, the 24-year-old is still central to the plans of general manager Doug Whaley and head coach Doug Marrone. The duo believes he will flourish now that the team has added some key offensive pieces.
The Bills traded up to snag highly-touted wide receiver Sammy Watkins with the fourth overall pick in the draft. Watkins had a fantastic college career, posting monster numbers of 3,391 yards and 27 touchdowns receiving in three seasons with Clemson.
Watkins will provide Manuel a legitimate down-field threat and some breathing room for running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson as he will force the opposition to be more honest with their defense. Last season, the Bills were a woeful 28th in the league in team passing yards with a paltry 193.9 average and this helped the opposition to lock in on Spiller and Jackson.
With that being said, Spiller and Jackson still put up impressive numbers running for a total of 1,823 yards out of the team’s 2,307-yard output a season ago. The Bills even got stronger this offseason at the running back position with the addition of Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon. This will boost their running game that was already second-best in the league last season with a 194.2 yards-per-game average.
They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing the Bears who were dead last in the league last season in rushing yards allowed (161.4 yards per outing ).
Betting on the Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler, for all his lumps, has contributed for the Bears in his last five seasons there. He is the franchise leader in career passer rating (83.1), completions (1,258), passing yards (14,913) and passing yards per game (222.6).
He has been solid in the preseason so far, going 28-of-42 for 317 yards, two touchdowns and one interception through three games. He has revitalized his career under Trestman who has masterminded this offensive transformation in Chicago. With Trestman at the helm, the Bears had the second-best offense in the league last season with 445 points, just behind the Denver Broncos.
The Bears might have found the right offensive formula but on the defensive end, they were pretty clueless last year.
The Bears were abysmal last season, finishing 30th in the NFL in total defense, allowing 394.6 yards per game last season. General manager Mike Emery decided that the only way to go was to rebuild and he started off by parting ways with Julius Peppers, Henry Melton and Corey Wootton. He then beefed up his defense by signing a trio of defensive ends in free agency including Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston and Willie Young.
The Bears envision the trio will improve their defensive pressure which was severely lacking last season. Chicago managed to force only 31 sacks which was the worst mark in the NFL last year.
The Bears are 5-3 SU in their last eight meetings with the Bills. The Bears also went 5-3 SU in their eight home games last season.
Writer’s Prediction
Cutler leads Chicago to victory. Take the Bears (-6) at home over the Bills. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the NFL matches.
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