Monday Night Football Betting Preview: Bears-Redskins odds, trends, pick

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The Bears enter the final game of Week 3 as five-point favorites against the Redskins, and with a relatively modest over/under of 41 points, bettors could go in a variety of directions in this one. BetQL breaks down both sides of this Monday Night Football matchup to help you find the sharpest bets and build your bank roll. 

MORE BETQL: Exclusive wagering tools for tonight's game

Bears outlook

The Bears ended last season’s playoff run with a missed kick by Cody Parkey against the Eagles, but Eddy Pineiro casted out their poor kicking demons last week when he made a 53-yard field goal as time expired to seal a 16-14 win over the Broncos and move Chicago to 1-1.

The Bears have looked physical on defense through two weeks. The front seven has led the unit with seven sacks while holding the Packers and Broncos to just 68.5 yards rushing per game. The Bears are also the third-best scoring defense thus far (12 points per game allowed). The Broncos and Packers scored their season lows in points against the Bears. The Washington offense has struggled to run the ball, as it has averaged just 2.5 yards per carry. Expect Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman to clog the middle for the Bears and allow Khalil Mack to do what he does best -- get after the passer. 

Much has been made about Mitchell Trubisky’s struggles in his third year as Chicago’s quarterback. The Bears squandered plenty of chances against the Packers in Week 1 and barely escaped with a victory last week after letting the Broncos outgain them by 99 yards. The Bears posted 5.3 yards per rush and accumulated 153 yards on the ground, but Trubisky only threw for 120 yards while completing 16-of-27 pass attempts. Trubisky stepped up in the final moments to lead a five-play drive to set up Pineiro’s game winning field goal, though. 

Trubisky has just 348 yards passing with no touchdowns and one interception through two weeks. The Bears need better play from him if they hope to compete in the NFC North and win games on the road like Monday’s matchup in Washington. 

After getting just six carries in Week 1, rookie running back David Montgomery had 18 rush attempts for 62 yards and a touchdown against Denver. Look for him to have a big game as the Bears try to establish the run early against a Washington team that has the second-worst run defense in the NFL, allowing 168 yards on the ground per game. After allowing five sacks in Week 1 against Green Bay, Chicago’s offensive line held Von Miller, Bradley Chubb and the entire Broncos defense to zero sacks last Sunday. As the offensive line improves and the Bears continue to get the ball out of Trubisky’s hands quickly, look for Montgomery to have a big game.

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Redskins outlook

Washington jumped out a 17-point lead in Week 1 over Philadelphia, but the Eagles came back to win 32-27. Washington lost a second consecutive NFC East matchup in Week 2 at home against the Cowboys after taking another early 7-0 lead. Washington allowed 213 rushing yards and gave up 21 consecutive points before eventually losing 31-21.

Washington's poor run defense and limited pass rush have doomed it thus far. As noted previously, Washington’s defense has struggled mightily against the run and has just two sacks through two weeks. Its offense has also failed to establish itself at the line of scrimmage, as it has rushed for the fewest yards per game in the NFL (37.5 yards) on the second fewest yards per carry (2.5). If the Redskins want to have a chance on Monday night, they need to improve dramatically in the trenches. 

On the plus side for Washington, new starting quarterback Case Keenum has impressed thus far. He has thrown for 300.5 yards per game with five touchdowns and no interceptions. Keenum’s top target has been rookie Terry McLaurin from Ohio State. He leads all Washington receivers with 16 targets, 187 receiving yards and two scores. Washington’s ninth-ranked passing offense will be challenged by arguably the best overall defense in the NFL.

Prediction

Although Keenum and the Washington offense should be able to muster up some points in this matchup, the Bears’ defense is a far superior unit and the offense be guided by Montgomery's ability to rush the football against a porous rush defense. Bet on Chicago to cover, but it's worth nothing the total has gone UNDER in Chicago's past seven games.

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