The Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears are coming off a season in which they had different stories. The Panthers are looking to reclaim their status as the top dog in the NFC South, while the Bears will try to defend their NFC North crown not many people expected them to get. The Panthers are +450 to win the NFC South, while the Bears are +175 to win the NFC North.
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Betting Preview for the Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears NFL Preseason Week 1 Game on August 8, 2019
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
When: Thursday, August 8, 2019, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Carolina Panthers (+3) vs. Chicago Bears (-3) – view all 2019 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on Carolina Panthers (0-0)
The Panthers turned what was then looking like a promising season into an unforgettable one after self-destructing in the second half of the 2018 campaign. That’s behind the Panthers now, though. Cam Newton is still the man in Carolina, but not in the preseason, as the Panthers are not going to let their franchise player play in what amounts to be a glorified exhibition game as he continues to recover from a shoulder surgery this offseason. In lieu of Newton, the Panthers will split the quarterbacking duties against the Bears between Kyle Allen and rookie Will Grier. Allen is listed ahead of the rooke on the QB depth chart, but it would be interesting to see more of Grier, who was selected in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft. In his final year at West Virginia, Grier passed for 3,864 yards and 37 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. First-year running backs Jordan Scarlett and Elijah Holyfield should also see plenty of playing time, as they won’t in the regular season when Christian McCaffrey inhales most of the available snaps.
The Panthers are 3-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last four preseason games.
Betting on Chicago Bears (0-0)
Last season was a breakout one for the Bears, who leaned on their sturdy defense to carry them into winning the NFC North. The narrative is going to be the same this 2019, but improvements on offense are expected, with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky having more experience and the team, as a whole, pretty much has a better grasp of Matt Nagy’s system and philosophy. Although they lost a star in Jordan Howard over the offseason via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, they have sufficient depth in the backfield. They have a veteran addition in Mike Davis, holdover Tarik Cohen, and rookies David Montgomery, and Kerrith Whyte Jr. Trubisky also got a new weapon, with Chicago selecting Georgia-product RIley Ridley. The wideout is viewed as a steal for Chicago, which might have gotten at least a second-round quality wide receiver in Ridley, who had nine touchdowns on 43 receptions in his last year in Athens.
The over is 3-1 in the Bears’ last four preseason games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
Chicago wins, 23-20.
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