Now that preseason has begun, the NFL‘s gambling season is officially open for business.
While many fans are wondering if their team has what it takes to contend for a playoff berth or title, bettors keep a much wider view, looking not only for contenders and winners, but also at which teams are expected to be champions of defeat.
And when it comes to that distinction, gamblers expect the Chicago Bears to be the NFL’s biggest loser.
For starters, BetMGM sportsbook offered a wager for “Worst Regular Season in the NFL” and although the Houston Texans are the favorite at +250, the Bears offer intriguing odds at +1100 and the public is hammering them. Why?
Well, with first-year head coach Matt Eberflus teaming up with first-year general manager Ryan Poles, you have two rookies on the job building a regime. That’s already a tough proposition, and we haven’t even gotten to the field.
On the defensive side, Khalil Mack was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers and Roquan Smith has requested a trade from the only team he has known. On the offensive side, Allen Robinson II signed with the Los Angeles Rams and the talented, but inexperienced, second-year QB Justin Fields overthrew an open receiver in practice by five yards last week.
Take a look:
Ouch. Given these factors, bettors think Chicago provides tons of value and have been taking advantage.
Another wager fans have hit hard is the Bears under 6.5 wins (-149 at FOX Bet, bet $10 to win $16.71 total). At FOX Bet, the Bears opened under 7.5 (-167, bet $10 to win $15.99 total) and have only gotten shorter since, which indicates plenty of action. Meanwhile, BetMGM has the Bears under as the most hit under of all season-win total wagers. So once again, gamblers are betting heavily on ‘Da Bears’ to fail.
Throwing fuel onto the fire, VSiN writer Ben Fawkes reported that the Bears are the least bet team to win the Super Bowl. Mind you, they are not the team with the longest odds, so gamblers are willing to take chances on the Texans or Atlanta Falcons over anything they see from the Monsters of the Midway.
So what do you think? Is Chicago going to be the worst team in the league, or do you think the gamblers have it all wrong? Whichever way you lean, make your way to FOX Bet and get in on the action.
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