Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears Preseason NFL Picks & Predictions 8/30/2018

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Soldier Field

Get todays NFL Odds & Lines on this game

The Buffalo Bills travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears on Thursday, August 30, 2018. The opening line for this game has Chicago as 3 point favorites. The over/under has been set at 39. The Bills had an ATS record of 10-6-1 last season while their over/under record was 8-9-0. The Bears had an over/under record of 4-12-0 and they were 8-7-1 against the spread.

Valuable Buffalo Bills Betting Trends

The Buffalo Bills were 8-9-0 against the over/under last season

The Buffalo Bills were 10-6-1 against the spread last year

Important Chicago Bears Betting Trends

The Chicago Bears were 4-12-0 against the over/under last season

The Chicago Bears were 8-7-1 against the spread last year

Key Buffalo Bills Injuries

08/26/18 RB LeSean McCoy Possible Suspension is upgraded to probable Sunday vs Cincinnati
08/20/18 DT Kyle Williams Knee is questionable Sunday vs Baltimore
08/18/18 P Cory Carter ACL is out for season
08/17/18 QB AJ McCarron Shoulder is out indefinitely

Key Chicago Bears Injuries

08/23/18 TE Adam Shaheen Ankle is out indefinitely
08/22/18 TE Dion Sims Concussion is questionable Sunday vs Green Bay
08/20/18 DB Deiondre' Hall Suspension is OUT Saturday vs Green Bay
08/19/18 LB Leonard Floyd Hand is questionable Sunday vs Green Bay
08/03/18 TE Zach Miller Knee is out for season

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Buffalo Bills were 22nd in the NFL in points scored with 302 last season. They ran 1,010 plays last year for 4,842 yards, which ranked them 29th in the league in total offense. The Bills averaged 4.8 yards per play, which was 27th in the National Football League. As a team they accumulated a total of 278 1st downs last year, placing them 26th overall as an offensive unit. On the ground Buffalo ran for 2,017 yards as a team, which ranked 6th in the NFL. They ran 487 times last year, averaging 4.1 yards per carry as a rushing unit. The Bills were penalized on offense 98 times for 872 yards last season, which had them 23rd in the league in penalties. Nathan Peterman threw for 252 yards last season. He completed 24 passes on 49 attempts for a completion percentage of 49%. His quarterback rating last year was 38.4. He averaged 5.1 yards per pass attempt and 10.5 yards per completion.

Defensive Statistics

Buffalo was 18th in the league in points allowed on defense with 359 last year. They surrendered a total of 5,682 yards on D, which was 26th in the NFL. The Bills were ranked 15th in yards per play allowed with 5.3. Their pass defense gave up 6.1 net yards per pass attempt, placing them 17th in the league as a unit. Opposing offenses completed 370 passes on 573 attempts against the Buffalo Bills defense last season, placing them 30th and 29th in the National Football League. The Buffalo pass defense also gave up a total of 3,688 yards through the air, which was 20th overall in total pass defense. Their rushing defense allowed 466 attempts for 1,994 yards last year, putting them in 29th place in the league against the run. The Bills committed 97 penalties for 873 yards on the defensive side of the ball last season. That ranked them 10th in the NFL. They gave up a score on 37.2% of possessions on defense, which was 25th in the league.

Special Teams Stats

Buffalo was ranked 31st in the league in punt returns last season with 24. They accumulated 213 punt return yards and averaged 8.9 yards per return, which was 10th in the NFL. Their longest punt return last year was 40 yards. They returned 32 kicks for 640 yards on special teams, ranking 17th in kick return yardage. The Bills averaged 20 yards per kick return and had a long of 29 yards last year. They were 30th in the league in all-purpose yards with 5,956. The Buffalo Bills attempted 33 field goals last season and made 29, which was 14th in the National Football League. Their kickers had a field goal percentage of 87.9%. Buffalo Bills kickers made 100% of their extra points, going 29 for 29 last year. Their punters totaled 3,528 yards on 79 punts, averaging 44.7 yards per punt. That placed them 17th in the NFL in punting average.

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Chicago Bears ran for 1,788 yards as a unit last year, which ranked 16th in the league. They ran 422 times, averaging 4.2 yards per rush as a unit. The Bears were penalized on offense 115 times for 943 yards last season, which had them 8th in the NFL in penalties. They were 29th in the National Football League in points scored with 264. They ran 934 plays last year for 4,599 yards, which ranked them 30th in the NFL in total offense. The Bears averaged 4.9 yards per play, which was 26th in the league. As a team they accumulated a total of 266 1st downs last season, ranking them 32nd overall as an offensive unit. Mitch Trubisky completed 196 throws while attempting 330 passes for a completion percentage of 59.4% last year. He passed for 2,193 yards. He averaged 11.2 yards per completion and 6.6 yards per pass attempt. His quarterback rating last season was 77.5.

Defensive Statistics

The Bears rush defense gave up 432 attempts for 1,730 yards last season, putting them in 11th place in the NFL against the run. They had 118 penalties for 910 yards on defense last year. That placed them 17th in the league. They allowed a score on 33.1% of possessions on defense, which was 13th in the NFL. Chicago was 9th in the NFL in points surrendered on defense with 320. They gave up a total of 5,106 yards on D, which was 10th in the league. The Bears were 12th in yards per play allowed with 5.1. Their pass defense allowed 5.9 net yards per pass attempt, ranking them 13th in the National Football League. Opponent offenses completed 343 throws on 529 attempts against the Chicago defense last season, ranking them 17th and 10th in the league. The Chicago Bears pass defense also surrendered a total of 3,376 yards in the air, which was 7th overall in total pass defense.

Special Teams Stats

The Chicago Bears tried 22 field goals last season and made 16, which was 30th in the league. Their kickers had a FG percentage of 72.7%. Chicago kickers made 93% of their extra points, going 26 for 28 last season. Their punters accumulated 4,087 yards on 87 punts, averaging 47 yards per punt. That ranked them 7th in the NFL in punting average. Chicago was 20th in the NFL in punt returns with 32 last year. They totaled 337 punt return yards and averaged 10.5 yards per return, which was 3rd in the league. Their longest punt return last season was 61 yards. They returned 46 kicks for 969 yards on special teams, placing them 4th in kick return yardage. The Bears averaged 21.1 yards per kick return and had a long of 46 yards last season. They were 26th in the National Football League in all-purpose yards with 6,179.

Who will win tonight's Bills/Bears NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Bills +3

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