Best Bets: Sunday Full Slate (Open Thread)

This will now be our Open Thread to discuss anything NFL-related today, but keep in mind all Open Threads are rated WCG-MA.

A little later this afternoon we’ll drop the Bears-Packers inactives in an article here at WCG, and then that will turn into the Open Thread to discuss that rivalry game.

You can then come back here for the Sunday Night Football Game and open thread it up all night long!

The Thursday Night Football game was fun but let’s sink our teeth into the full Sunday slate, shall we? Some of our writers are going to try to pick games every week so that you can, well, do what you want with it. Want to fade us and bet the opposite? Roll with us? Cheer us on from afar? All are fair options on the table.

But who are we kidding? We’re going to bet the Chicago Bears hosting the Green Bay Packers. What do you need to know about this line? For one, it has moved quite a bit since the first lines opened at Bears -2.5. That means that the preseason momentum (read: narrative) has swung in Green Bay’s direction. Jordan Love has looked pretty good, the Bears interior offensive line has some injuries, and overall, the feelings about the two squads has seemed to float in opposite directions.

My firm belief is preseason doesn’t mean anything and we roll back to what we knew all along. Green Bay has a first time starter with a cast of young players around them. Their best defensive player is working his way back from a torn ACL. The Bears are in the second year of their offensive system and added juice in the form of a true WR1. They added talent to the defense and, yes, they are actually trying to win games this year as opposed to the tear down job from 2022.

I’m taking the Bears -1. I’m also grabbing the over, set at a tantalizing 43. I expect the Bears offense to be more explosive and more consistent this year in stringing together points, while the Bears defense may take a little more time to find their footing. The under used to be the safe bet in Bears games but this is way too low for me. Hit the over.

Picks: Bears -1, Over 43

(Numbers courtesy of our partners at DraftKings Sportsbooks)

Check out the rest of our staff picks below and be sure to let us know what you’re betting this weekend in the comments.