A duel between two young quarterbacks is on tap this coming Sunday in Windy City as rookie Sam Darnold and the 3-4 New York Jets will travel to Soldier Field to face second-year pro Mitchell Trubisky and the 3-3 Chicago Bears. Which team will come out on top?
According to the sportsbook, the Jets are +5,000 to win the AFC East, while the Bears are +325 to top the NFC North.
Sam Darnold played perhaps the worst game of his nascent NFL career so far last week, when he completed just 17 of 32 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in a 37-17 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He was also sacked three times for a loss of 14 yards. The Jets moved the chains for only 263 total yards, though, it can’t be entirely pinned on their rookie quarterback. For one, the Jets were missing the pair of Quincy Enunwa (ankle injury) and Terrell Pryor (injured and was cut) downfield. The Jets’ backfield was also dismal, as it only coaxed 71 rushing yards from Isaiah Crowell and company. Crowell could see more touches going forward with backup running back Bilal Powell injuring his neck in the Vikings game. Having said all of that, the Jets still do possess an offense that’s at the top half of the league with 26.0 points per game average.
The over is 4-0 in the Jets’ last four games.
Betting on the Chicago Bears (3-2)
The Bears would have beaten Tom Brady and the New England Patriots if only quarterback Mitchell Trubisky did better than connect on just 26 of 50 pass attempts. He had 333 passing yards and two touchdowns but had two interceptions and was basically missing folks downfield for almost the entirety of the game. In any case, there’s flashes of brilliance in Trubisky, who also managed to dazzle with 81 rushing yards and a rushing score on six carries. The Bears’ defense will always present Trubisky extra opportunities with its ability to force turnovers, however. Chicago is second in the league with 2.8 takeaways per game, which doesn’t sound good for the Jets, as New York is averaging 2.1 turnovers per contest.
The Bears are 3-1 in the Bears’ last four home games.
