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Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons NFL Betting Lines & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

bears falcons 101509 The 3-1 Chicago Bears take on the 3-1 Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in a Week 6 NFC battle on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Last week, the Falcons came off their bye week and exploded for a 45-10 road win at San Francisco. The Bears will look to do the same thing coming off a Week 5 bye. Last season’s matchup was a memorable one. With only six seconds to work with, then-rookie QB Matt Ryan hit Michael Jenkins on a 26-yard pass to set up Jason Elam’s game winning 48-yard field goal to lift Atlanta past Chicago 22-20. That was a rare loss for Chicago in this series of late, though. The Bears have won eight of the last 10 meetings to take a 12-11 lead in the all-time series. The books have listed the Atlanta Falcons as a 3-point favorite with the total set at 45.5 for Sunday night.

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The Falcons are 8-0 at home when QB Matt Ryan tallies a passer rating of 100 or better in his first two seasons as an NFL starter. Playmakers Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White will try to aid Ryan in continuing this trend. Chicago’s secondary has struggled to check its opponents’ top targets this season. Limiting White and Gonzalez figures to be the units toughest task yet. White is one of the best young receivers in the league with speed that kills and he is a precise pattern runner. Gonzalez is Mr. Consistency with a reception in 135 straight games now. White is averaging 14.3 yards per catch and Gonzalez is averaging 11.3 yards per reception.

The Falcons will be much more concerned with the defensive side of the ball this week against a Bears offense that seems to be finding its groove under QB Jay Cutler. The guy I’ll be watching is middle linebacker Mike Peterson. He is the steadying force amidst a young unit and is playing great football with 30 stops, two forced fumbles and an interception. His chief responsibility will be to make sure the front seven doesn’t allow running back Matt Forte to have a big day. It is worth noting that the Falcons are 8-3 against the spread in their last 11 home games. If you like Atlanta to take care of business at home and cover the number in the process, bet the Falcons at -3 at Bookmaker.

Jay Cutler is the best QB the bears have had in a long, long time and he is the first Bears signal caller since 1970 to post a passer rating of 100 or better in three straight games. Coming off a bye week, one would expect that Cutler would have been able to develop even more chemistry with his receivers. Even after throwing four interceptions in a Week 1 loss to Green Bay, Cutler’s confidence never wavered. If the Bears get into a shootout Sunday, you have to like their chances with the ball in Cutler’s hands.

Another thing to note here is how well the Bears have taken care of the football. Since committing four turnovers in Week 1, the Bears have only committed two while forcing six. Atlanta has five turnovers over its last three games. Winning the turnover battle could be the key to a Bears win on the road. It is worth noting that the Falcons are only 2-8-1 against the number in their last 11 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points. If you think Chicago can avenge last season’s narrow defeat to the Falcons, bet the Bears at +3 at Bookmaker.

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