The New England Patriots are smoking. They have won their third-consecutive victory on Sunday and are looking every bit like the +225 favorites to win the AFC in their triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs. Up ahead for the Pats is a road tilt against the Chicago Bears, who will eye a rebound win following a loss in South Beach.
The Patriots gave the answer to the weeks-old question of which team will be the first to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs when Tom Brady and company took down Andy Reid’s crew at home last Sunday, 43-40. Tom Brady put up a solid performance – again. Brady passed for 340 yards with a touchdown on 24-of-35 completions. The Patriots’ offense is getting stronger, as evidenced by their outgunning Kansas City’s fireworks factory of an attack. The return of Julian Edelman from a four-game suspension and the increased role of Josh Gordon downfield should help Brady extend plays while also keeping their susceptible defense off the field as little time as possible. The Patriots’ offense is starting to peak just in time for a matchup with Chicago’s tough defense.
The Patriots are fourth in the NFL in scoring with 29.3 points per game.
The under is 4-1 in the Patriots’ last five games.
Betting on the Chicago Bears (3-2)
Slowed by an ankle injury, Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack failed to record either a sack or a forced fumble in a game for the first time this season when Chicago picked up a 31-28 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins on the road. Hopefully for the Bears, Mack will be able to fully recover from that injury. They are going to need the star defensive end to bother Brady in the pocket in Week 7. Mack has five of the Bears’ 18.0 sacks this season. That total is good for fifth in the NFL, thanks to Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Danny Trevathan. Hicks and Trevathan have a combined 5.0 sacks. The Bears’ offense put up 467 total yards against Miami, but only punished themselves with three turnovers. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had an interception, while running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen each lost a fumble. Speaking of Trubisky, last year’s No. 2 overall pick had his second-straight game of at least 300 passing yards, completing 22 of 31 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns. He could have success against the 21st-ranked pass defense of the Pats.
The Bears are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three home games.
