The NFL is back for week 10 of the regular season as the Carolina Panthers take on the Chicago Bears in the Soldier FIeld for Thursday Night Football.
The Bears have had a poor season so far with a 2-7 record heading into this game, while the Panthers have been shocking with a 1-7 record for the campaign and both teams will feel this is their best chance of a much-needed win for a while.
We’ll take a look at the match-up and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you take in the action on the field.
Both of these teams have had horrific seasons so far, but the Bears will be coming in with slightly more confidence after two wins this season.
They opened the campaign with four straight losses, including two at home, thanks to defeats to the Green Bay Packers (20-38), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (17-27), Kansas City Chiefs (10-41) and Denver Broncos (28-31).
But they picked up two wins in their next three games with what seemed to be a turning point as they defeated the Washington Commanders (40-20) and Las Vegas Raiders (30-12), with another defeat to the Minnesota Vikings sandwiched in between.
Since then however they’ve lost two more games consecutively, being dominated by the Los Angeles Chargers (13-30) and New Orleans Saints most recently (17-24).
If you thought that was bad then take a look at Carolina’s season so far, where their 7-1 record has been nothing short of horrendous.
They opened their season with six consecutive defeats against the Atlanta Falcons (10-24), Saints (17-20), Seattle Seahawks (27-37), Vikings (13-21), Detroit Lions (24-42) and Dolphins (21-42) before a bye in week 7 allowed them to recharge and reset.
It seemed to work as they bounced back with a 15-13 win over the Houston Texans in week 8, but they reverted to type last time out against the Indianapolis Colts last time out with a 13-27 defeat.
The Panthers may have notched their first win two weeks ago, but they remain in search of their first win on the road as they travel to Soldier Field on Thursday.
Year one of the Bryce Young era has been tough to say the least, as Carolina is scoring at a clip of just 18.1 points per game which ranks them at 25th in the NFL. Meanwhile, Carolina hasn’t had much to offer on the opposite side of the ball, having allowed 28.4 points per game to their opponents for the 30th best defense in the league.
Chicago are hoping that Justin Fields, who has been healing from a dislocated right thumb, will be able to return managed to return to practice ahead of the Bears’ Week 9 bout with the Saints before eventually being ruled out.
Chicago is 3-5-1 against the spread this season, and 1-2-1 when at home. Meanwhile, the Panthers are 0-4 against the spread, mimicking their record in head-to-head matchups.
With Carolina having yet to show anything promise on either side of the ball, the Bears should be equipped to snap their losing skid. If Fields is back under center, then they boast the clear offensive advantage as well.
Both of their wins this season came at a greater gap than this, while the Panthers have only lost by less than 8 points once this season. Backing the Bears to win and cover the spread looks like the most locked-in bet of the weekend, and at even money is fantastic value.
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Defensively both of these teams have been an absolute shambles so far this season, and that means plenty of opportunities for points to be scored.
Three of Carolina’s games this season have flown past this total, and last weekend saw them hit it on the nose with a 40-point game. Chicago on the other hand have seen this total land in eight of their nine games this season, with the only exception coming in their defeat to Minnesota.
Both teams are capable of scoring points, and they’ll be far more likely to go for the throat against each other because of the form table and record. Both Chicago and Carolina will feel they can get a much-needed win here.
That means risks being taken and points being scored, so back the over to land at -110 in an entertaining game.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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