TNF: Cowboys Visit Chicago

The Chicago Bears take on the Dallas Cowboys in Thursday Night Football tonight in a game that is going to be a tricky one to bet on.

The Dallas Cowboys playoff aspirations are very real as they sit at 8-4 and are road favorites by 4.5 points. They actually opened at 3.5 points and bettors liked the so much the line has since shifted.

The Bears playoff hopes are beginning to slip through their fingers as they sit at 5-7. The Bears lost on Thanksgiving to the Detroit Lions, 34-17 and their last four losses have come by 13 points or more, meaning that a bet on the Cowboys seems like a sure thing, but it isn’t.

The Cowboys are only 6-6 against the spread. In fact, since Jason Garrett has been head coach, they have only covered the spread as more than three point favorites nine times out of 23 games.

Tony Romo, though, is likely looking forward to tonight’s matchup, as the Bears have allowed 27 touchdowns passes this season, higher than any other NFC team. The Bears defense will also have their work cut out for them since the Cowboys have started relying more on their run game. DeMarco Murray has gotten at least 19 carries in Dallas’ last few games and has rushed of 100 yards in 10 of 12 games.

The Bears are not without talent on offense, though. After only giving the ball to Matt Forte five times and losing a week ago, expect the Bears to have a more balanced attack, especially considering Dallas allows opponents to pick up 4.5 yards per carry on average.

The total is set at 51.5 points. The over is 6-5-1 on the over this season, while the Bears are 7-5 on the over.