Bears the worst team at covering the spread in 2019

It’s no secret that the Bears didn’t live up to the hype in 2019.

Fresh off of their first playoff appearance since 2010 and an NFC North divisional crown in 2018, many fans expected Chicago to see at least a similar degree of success last season. However, they failed to reach those expectations, finishing with an 8-8 record and placing third in their division.

Their inability to reach expectations not only provided for a disappointing season, but it also translated to the world of sports betting.

Despite avoiding placing below .500, the Bears were the worst team in the NFL in terms of covering the spread, going 4-12 in doing so according to this NFL betting page, and were ultimately the best team to bet against​​ when trying to cover. They finished the year with a -18 point differential, even with an allowed 18.6 points-per-game average that was the fourth-best total among NFL defenses. All told, their offensive struggles made them an easy team to bet against and a frustrating team to cheer for.

Such games like their upset losses to the Raiders and Chargers and their blowout losses to the Saints and Chiefs contributed to their inefficiency at covering the spread. Chicago was favored to win in their first seven games, and while they started off 3-1 both in real life and against the spread, things went downhill from there. Not only did losing four out of five games from October to November hurt their betting reliability, but narrow wins against the Giants and Lions failed to cover the spread, as well.

The general consensus among bettors has the Bears finishing with roughly eight wins in 2020, giving them a second straight .500 season. With several games on the schedule that project as toss-up matchups, it could be a challenge to figure out how to bet on them this coming year.