What bettors learned about the Chicago Bears during the 2022 NFL preseason

The Chicago Bears went 3-0 to finish the preseason undefeated for the first time since 1994.

Final scores might not matter too much in the preseason, but there can still be a lot learned from that three-game stretch under first-year head coach Matt Eberflus. It was the first look at this new regime, giving us a better idea of what to expect entering the 2022 campaign.

For bettors, the preseason provides a glimpse on how we should bet on these teams. Are they more of an over or under team? Should we identify spots to play them as an underdog? To help try to figure all of that out ahead of the season opener, let’s take a look at how the Chicago Bears performed from a betting perspective during the 2022 preseason.

All of the betting lines in this story are based on the closing number at Caesars Sportsbook, which is the official odds partner of Bet Chicago Sports.

Spread

Thanks to three outright wins as an underdog, the Bears went 3-0 against the spread during the 2022 preseason. The Bears were 7-10 against the spread last year, which included a 4-9 clip as an underdog.

The Bears were a 1.5-point underdog in the first preseason game, in which the reserves rallied to a 19-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bears had a short turnaround in Week 2, but still took care of business with a 27-11 win over the Seattle Seahawks as four-point underdogs. Chicago’s starters jumped out to an early lead in an eventual 21-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns as three-point underdogs.

Of course, starters did not play more than a half in each of the three preseason games. This means we can’t put too much stock in these results, though the Bears will certainly be familiar with the underdog role this season.

Caesars Sportsbook has had betting lines for the entire NFL season for much of the summer. The Bears currently project to be an underdog in 14 of their 16 games, with the lone exception being at home against Houston in Week 3 and a home meeting with Detroit in Week 10.

Total

Bears starters put on a clinic in the first half of Saturday’s win over Cleveland, which led to the final score going over the point total of 39. It was the lone Bears’ preseason game that went over, as under 38 came through against Kansas City and under 39 was a winner in Seattle.

Quarterback Justin Fields was a big reason why the third preseason game went over. He completed 14-of-16 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan Griffin, Dante Pettis and Cole Kmet were on the receiving end of Fields’ touchdown tosses.

These point totals will move up in the regular season with starters going the distance, but it might not be by a lot. Chicago’s Week 1 matchup with San Francisco has an over/under of 42 total points.

Fields’ performance in the preseason finale puts the over in play on any given week, but unders might generally be the better bet for this team. Ten of Chicago’s 17 games went under the point total in 2021.

Moneyline

Because the Bears won all three games, the moneyline ticket made it to the window on all three occasions. Each wager offered different payouts, however.

The Bears closed at +105 on the moneyline against Kansas City, meaning a $100 ticket would win the bettor $105 for a total payout of $205. Chicago was +150 on the moneyline before kickoff in Seattle, and was priced at +140 to win outright in Cleveland.

Chicago has a juicier price for Week 1, as it is currently +245 on the moneyline at home against San Francisco in a battle between two second-year quarterbacks. The Bears dropped all five games as a home underdog in 2021, but expect better odds on the moneyline this season given the expectations entering the year.