It’s the rematch not a few people have been waiting for. On Thursday, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face Super Bowl-winner and now Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles at Soldier Field in what should be an intriguing battle between two teams with great defenses. Will Brady get some measure of revenge against Foles? Or will the Bears hand Tampa Bay its second loss of the season?
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Betting Preview for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears Regular Season Week 5 Game on October 8, 2020
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
When: Thursday, October 8, 2020, 8:20 PM ET
Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5) vs Chicago Bears (+5) – view all 2020 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX/NFLN/Amazon
Betting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5)
Regular Season Record: 3-1
When the Buccaneers signed Tom Brady during the offseason, they envisioned winning games — lots of them. And they are realizing that now, as they improve to 3-1 on the season after beating the LA Chargers at home on Sunday, 38-31. Brady led the Bucs to a win after trailing by as many as 17 points, tossing five touchdowns on 30-of-46 pass completions. He also overcame a pick-six in the first quarter. Credit should also go to the Bucs’ offensive line that is doing a fine job of keeping Brady upright, as the team is fourth in offensive quarterback sacked percentage (3.12). That’s going to help Brady a lot in Week 5 against the Bears’ defensive front, especially with the Bucs’ nursing a few injured bodies that might not be able to play at Soldier Field. Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin missed the Chargers game with a hamstring injury along with running back Leonard Fournette, who’s dealing with an ankle issue. On a short week, those two might not have enough time to heal up, though, Brady can continue finding the tall and talented Mike Evans, who had 122 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches against the Chargers.
The Bucs are 3-1 against the spread in their last four games away from home.
Betting on the Chicago Bears (+5)
Regular Season Record: 3-1
Maybe Nick Foles should just let Mitch Trubisky start before he sees action every game. In his first start of the season, Foles bombed out, failing to inject life into the Bears’ offense in a 19-11 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday. Foles went 26-of-42 for just 249 passing yards and a touchdown with an interception. The Bears’ ground attack was lifeless, too, as it came up with just 28 rushing yards on 16 carries against a stout Colts run defense. There’s just not much on the Bears’ offense that is making people view it as dangerous, though, wide receiver Darnell Mooney is starting to attract attention that’s badly needed by Allen Robinson to keep opposing defenses from ganging upon him. Mooney had 52 receiving yards on five catches, while Robinson led the team with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. But for now, it looks like if the Bears are going to win games, it’s because of their defense that will keep the game close enough for Foles and company to have a shot. The Bears are allowing just 20.2 points per game and are third in the league in opponents’ third-down conversion percentage (34.43). If anything, at least the Bears don’t have to travel for their next game, which should mean they’ll be the fresher team between them and the Bucs on Thursday.
The under is 3-0 in the Bears’ last three games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bucs win, 23-17.
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