Chicago Bears vs Pittsburgh Steelers 11/08/2021 NFL Odds, Preview, and Prediction

The Chicago Bears hit the road and travel to Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football for a matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

These are two teams that are trending in opposite directions in recent weeks. Chicago has dropped three straight games and their offense has produced an anemic 39 total points during that stretch. The Bears are 3-5 on the year and in 3rd place in the NFC North and are far back the 7-1 Packers who lead their division.

Pittsburgh meanwhile, has won three straight games and head home after beating the Browns in Cleveland last weekend. The Steelers got rid of pass rusher Melvin Ingram at the trade deadline which should help their chemistry because Ingram was becoming a distraction to the team. Pittsburgh is in third place in the AFC North at 4-3 but is just a game behind the division leaders Ravens.

Chicago Bears

After losing their season opener to the Rams, the Bears won three of their next four games. However, Chicago has suffered consecutive defeats against Green Bay, Tampa Bay, and San Francisco to fall to 3-5 on the season.

In their last game against the 49ers, the Bears led for most of three quarters before getting outscored 18-6 in the fourth quarter. Despite that, they still had a chance to tie the game in the final period but Cairo Smith missed an extra point attempt. The 49ers scored the final 10 points of the game to beat the Bears 33-22 as 4.5 point underdogs.

Justin Field completed 19 of 27 passes for 175 passing yards with one touchdown and an interception while also rushing for 103 yards with one rushing touchdown. Khalil Herbert also rushed for 72 yards on 23 carries while Darnell Mooney caught six passes for 64 receiving yards.

The Bears are second from the bottom in the league when it comes to scoring points at only 15.4 points per game. They are last in the NFL in passing yards with 127.4 per game but are 6th in rushing at 136.6 yards per game. The Chicago defense is tied for 12th best at only 24.4 points per game allowed.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers stunned the Bills in their season opener then proceeded to lose their next three games. They have since bounced back with three straight wins against the Broncos, Seahawks, and Browns.

Pittsburgh was locked in a defensive battle with the Browns as both teams entered the second half of their game with a 3-3 tie. Cleveland went up 10-3 before the Steelers cut the lead to 10-9 at the start of the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh scored the go-ahead TD with 11 minutes left in the game and let their defense complete the job and get the win.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for a total of 266 yards with one touchdown while completing 22 of 34 passes. Rookie RB Najee Harris rushed for 91 yards on 21 carries while Diontae Johnson had six catches for 98 receiving yards while Pat Freiermuth had 4 catches for 44 yards with one TD grab.

Pittsburgh ranks only 26th in the league in scoring at 18.9 points per game scored. They are 17th in passing at 244.4 yards through the air per contest. The Steelers are 28th overall in rushing at 86.0 yards per game and are 7th in the league in scoring defense at only 20.3 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

Chicago is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played. The Bears are 1-3 SU in their last four games played on the road but are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games against the AFC North division.

Pittsburgh is 3-1 SU in their last four games played. The Steelers are 2-2 SU in their four home games played this season, and 5-0 SU in their last five November games played.

Although their offense has played better with head coach Matt Nagy away from the team due to COVID-19, the Bears cannot beat the Steelers in a shootout. Instead, it will be their defense that can lead them to victory here as Chicago’s defense has allowed 17 or fewer points in their three victories.

The Steelers started to win when they played with a balanced offense. Harris has helped take the pressure off Big Ben as he has rushed for an average of 98 yards on the ground on a least 23 carries on 25 touches per game during their current three-game winning streak.

Chicago ranks in the bottom 10 in rush defense and if Harris continues his tear here, it’s going to be a problem for them. The Steelers also rank in the Top 10 in scoring defense and just outside the Top 10 in yards allowed. Pittsburgh should rule both sides of the field here and pick up their fourth straight win.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers

Other Bets to Make

The Bears are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games played. Chicago is 15-31-1 ATS in their last 47 games after allowing more than 250 passing yards in their previous games, 6-15 ATS in their last 21 games after a straight-up loss, 7-19 ATS in their last 26 games after a double-digit loss, 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against an opponent with a winning record, 1-7 ATS in their last eight games as betting underdogs, and 1-4 ATS in their last five road games.

The Steelers are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. Pittsburgh is just 1-4 ATS in their last five games played, 1-4 ATS in their last five games against the NFC, 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games when accumulating 350 yards of offense in their previous game, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played on grass, 1-4 ATS in their last five games after an ATS win, 0-7 ATS in their last seven games as betting favorites, 0-6 ATS in their last six games as home favorites, 2-6 ATS in their last eight games after passing for 250 or more yards in their previous game, and 1-4 ATS in their last five home games.

Chicago has dropped three in a row and their defense hasn’t played well during that stretch, allowing an average of over 31 points per game. They have not especially done well against the run, which could be an issue with Harris playing very well during the Steelers’ winning streak.

Pittsburgh’s defense has also picked it up in their last three games, allowing no more than 20 points in each of their last three games played. The defense has gotten to the opposing quarterbacks with T.J. Watt recording 8.5 sacks this season.

I’m expecting the Steelers to show up on defense behind Harris and defense behind Watt. With the other facets of their game humming, there won’t be too much pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and he should deliver a good game here as well. Good enough to cover the spread.

Prediction: Steeles -7

These are two teams who have struggled to put up points on the scoreboard this season. The Bears are the second-worst team in the league when it comes to scoring offense while the Steelers are 26th overall in that statistical category this season. Those aren’t the ranking that would produce a high-scoring football game.

Chicago has seen the total go under in six of their eight games this season, including three out of their four road games. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has seen the under hit in six of their last seven-game, including three of their four home games.

With mediocre offenses at best facing each other here, it’s likely that 20 points are going to win the ball game.

Prediction: Under 39

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