In a week full of intriguing matchups, this one is certainly one of the more underrated ones. On Sunday, Nick Foles and the Chicago Bears travel down to Charlotte to take on Teddy Bridgewater and the Carolina Panthers. The Bears are coming off a huge, primetime win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they registered a 20-19 comeback victory last week on "Thursday Night Football." Foles rallied the offense while the defense woke up in a big way, as Khalil Mack got to Brady twice and the Bucs' new quarterback struggled to deal with the pass rush all night long.
As for the Panthers, they have reeled off three straight wins even without star running back Christian McCaffrey. A big part of this recent success has been his replacement Mike Davis, who has rushed 45 times for a total of 219 yards (over 4.8 yards per carry) and one touchdown over the past three weeks. He also has taken over for McCaffrey in the passing game, as he has caught 22 passes for 132 yards and two more touchdowns. In a weird twist of fate, Davis gets a chance to start against the team that cut him last year, so should we expect a revenge game?
The Bears lead the all-time series against the Panthers 6-3, and have won four out of the past five against Carolina. Below, we will get you caught up on the most intriguing betting angles to get you locked in before kickoff. All odds are via William Hill Sportsbook.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
TV: Fox | Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Bears at Panthers (-1)
This line reopened at Panthers -2.5 but fell to Panthers -1.5 by Wednesday. It's since ticked down a bit as the market expects this to be close to a coin flip.
The pick: Panthers -1. Carolina really appears to be on a roll as of late, and I was impressed that they beat Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 and then held the Atlanta Falcons to just 16 points in Week 5. I have yet to see if Foles can rack up points in this Bears offense, and while they may be on the verge of something special, they haven't proven that to me just yet.
Over/Under 44.5 points
The total has actually risen over the past week, as it reopened at 44 on Sunday and then rose half a point.
The pick: Under 44.5. Since Carolina began this win streak, the Panthers have allowed an average of 17.6 points per game. On the flip side, the Bears allow an average of 20 points per game, which ranks No. 4 in the NFL. I'm leaning towards the Under.
Player props
Jimmy Graham total receiving yards: Over 28.5 (-115). Graham has recorded over 29 receiving yards in each of the last three games. Additionally, SportsLine's projection also has Graham going over 29 receiving yards.
Nick Foles total passing yards: Under 250.5 (-115). Foles hasn't passed for 250 yards for the Bears yet, so I'm inclined to take the Under here. SportsLine projects him throwing for just 220 yards on Sunday.
Score/Win Double: Mike Davis to score a touchdown and Panthers to win (+188). Davis has scored a touchdown in each of his last three starts, so if you also believe the Panthers will win in Week 6, definitely take this prop.
