Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals Preseason NFL Picks & Predictions 8/9/2018

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Paul Brown Stadium

Get todays NFL Odds & Lines on this game

The Chicago Bears head to Paul Brown Stadium to play the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, August 9, 2018. The opening line for this matchup has Cincinnati as 3 point favorites. The total has been set at 36. The Bears were 8-7-1 against the spread last season and their over/under record was 4-12-0. The Bengals were 9-7-0 against the spread and their over/under mark was 7-9-0.

Valuable 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

Important Cincinnati Bengals Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Bengals were 7-9-0 against the over/under last season

The Cincinnati Bengals were 9-7-0 against the spread last year

Key Chicago Bears Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Cincinnati Bengals Injuries

07/28/18 OL Rod Taylor ACL is out for season

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Chicago Bears were 29th in the National Football League in points scored with 264 last year. They ran 934 plays 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. On the ground Chicago ran for 1,788 yards as a unit, 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 year, which had them 8th in the NFL in penalties. Mitch Trubisky passed for 2,193 yards last year. He completed 196 throws while attempting 330 passes for a completion percentage of 59.4%. His quarterback rating last season was 77.5. He averaged 11.2 yards per completion and 6.6 yards per pass attempt.

Defensive Statistics

Chicago was 9th in the NFL in points surrendered on defense last year 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 Bears defense last season, ranking them 17th and 10th in the league. The Chicago pass defense also surrendered a total of 3,376 yards in the air, which was 7th overall in total pass defense. Their rushing defense gave up 432 attempts for 1,730 yards last season, putting them in 11th place in the NFL against the run. The Bears 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.

Special Teams Stats

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. 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 Bears 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.

Useful Offensive Statistics

The Cincinnati Bengals ran for 1,366 yards as a team last year, which ranked 31st in the NFL. They ran 377 times, averaging 3.6 yards per carry as a rushing unit. The Bengals were penalized on offense 110 times for 1,027 yards last season, which had them 12th in the league in penalties. They were 26th in the NFL in points scored with 290. They ran 927 plays last season for 4,488 yards, which ranked them 32nd in the league in total offense. The Bengals averaged 4.8 yards per play, which was 28th in the National Football League. As a team they accumulated a total of 267 1st downs last year, placing them 30th overall as an offensive unit. Andy Dalton averaged 6.7 yards per pass attempt and 11.2 yards per completion last season. He completed 297 passes on 496 attempts for a completion percentage of 59.9%. His quarterback rating last year was 86.6. He threw for 3,320 yards.

Defensive Statistics

The Bengals rush defense allowed 489 attempts for 2,046 yards last year, putting them in 30th place in the league against the run. Cincinnati committed 106 penalties for 906 yards on the defensive side of the ball last season. That ranked them 15th in the NFL. They gave up a score on 37% of possessions on defense, which was 24th in the league. They were 16th in the league in points allowed on defense with 349. They surrendered a total of 5,425 yards on D, which was 18th in the NFL. The Bengals were ranked 7th in yards per play allowed with 5. Their pass defense gave up 5.6 net yards per pass attempt, placing them 4th in the league as a unit. Opposing offenses completed 336 passes on 561 attempts against the Cincinnati defense last season, placing them 15th and 23rd in the National Football League. The Cincinnati Bengals pass defense also gave up a total of 3,379 yards through the air, which was 8th overall in total pass defense.

Special Teams Stats

The Cincinnati Bengals attempted 20 field goals last season and made 18, which was 27th in the National Football League. Their kickers had a field goal percentage of 90.0%. Cincinnati kickers made 94% of their extra points, going 32 for 34 last year. Their punters totaled 4,102 yards on 89 punts, averaging 46.1 yards per punt. That placed them 11th in the NFL in punting average. Cincinnati was ranked 1st in the league in punt returns last season with 47. They accumulated 409 punt return yards and averaged 8.7 yards per return, which was 14th in the NFL. Their longest punt return last year was 40 yards. They returned 34 kicks for 670 yards on special teams, ranking 16th in kick return yardage. The Bengals averaged 19.7 yards per kick return and had a long of 41 yards last year. They were 31st in the league in all-purpose yards with 5,831.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Bengals -3

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