The Detroit Lions currently have a stronghold on the NFC North division title race. Will that grip get even tighter after their Week 14 matchup against the Chicago Bears?
We will have our answer on Sunday, December 10, at 1 p.m. eastern standard time, when the Lions and Bears face off at Soldier Field in Chicago Illinois. However, if you buy into the latest NFL online betting odds, the outcome of this one won’t be much of a mystery:
Please remember to double-check these online NFL betting odds until you actually submit your wager. Our Bears vs. Lions Week 14 betting odds are accurate entering Friday, December 1. That gives the best NFL online betting sites plenty of time to make adjustments leading into opening kick-off on Sunday afternoon.
Even a couple of weeks later, Detroit is still feeling the sting of their Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers. This Week 14 game could have served as a playoff-clincher if they picked up a victory in Week 12. Instead, their place in the NFC standings remains somewhat in doubt.
To be clear, the Lions are not on the verge of missing the playoff altogether. That’s a near-impossibility. Nobody else in their division is above .500. The closest team to Detroit is the Minnesota Vikings. But they sit at .500 exactly and lost quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season. Unless they rip off two unlikely victories against the Lions themselves in Weeks 16 and 18, Detroit is guaranteed a spot in the NFL playoffs as an inevitable division winner.
Now, are the Lions a threat to win the NFC championship? That’s the debate people are having around the league. There is no consensus answer. And frankly, facing the miles-below-.500 Bears won’t provide one. But this is one of those games the Lions technically can’t afford to lose, simply because it’s that winnable.
Why Aren’t the Detroit Lions Heavier Favorites to Beat the Chicago Bears in Week 14?
Late-season NFL games are subject to shenanigans. Teams are banged up and exhausted. Younger squads come out fresher. Franchises starting lesser-known players are inferior on paper, but the scouting reports on them are also thinner. That can make them a little tougher than expected to beat.
Yet, even by those standards, the Lions entering Week 14 as less than a 3-to-1 favorite over one of the NFL’s worst teams is a patented shocker. Nothing we’re seeing serves as a reasonable explanation. Detroit’s injury report is relatively clean, and they’ve been money on the road all season.
Chicago’s defense has perked up a bit over the past couple of weeks. But they just gave up 31 points to the Lions themselves in Week 11. The Bears still have one of the worst passing defenses around, too. They rank 24th in net yards allowed per attempt and 30th in total passing touchdowns surrendered.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff could potentially have a field day in Week 14 with the way he’s been playing. Detroit has topped 250 passing yards in five of their past six games, and three of those contests saw Goff throw for 300-plus yards.
OSB Prediction: Detroit Lions (-235)
Is the Previous Matchup Between Chicago and Detroit Impacting the Week 14 Betting Lines?
Though the Detroit Lions Week 14 moneyline feels a tad undervalued, it’s still decided enough that we expected the point spread to sniff a full touchdown. As you can tell below, that’s just not the case:
- Detroit Lions, -4.5 (-115)
- Chicago Bears, +4.5 (-105)
So far, most of the Bears vs. Lions point spread betting has tilted toward Detroit. We’re not here to disagree. They are clearly the superior team. We’re more so wondering why the spread isn’t larger.
It’s likely because the Bears lost by just five points to the Lions in Week 11. But that game was more about the Lions almost beating themselves. Detroit committed four turnovers in that tilt—and they still won.
To be fair, Chicago is fresher. They’ll be working off a bye week. And they’ve won two of three games. But those victories came against the potentially league-worst Carolina Panthers and a Minnesota Vikings team without Kirk Cousins. Detroit is a borderline Super Bowl contender. The expectation should be that they win this by a touchdown or more.
OSB Prediction: Detroit Lions, -4.5 (-115)
Which Version of the Bears Offense will Show Up Against the Lions in Week 14?
When these two teams last met, they obliterated the “over” by combining for more than 55 points. The latest Bears vs. Lions over/under betting odds appear to be taking that into account and have been adjusted accordingly:
- Over 46.5 (-115)
- Under 46.5 (-115)
If this were a few weeks ago, we would have jumped on the “under.” Even now, we’re compelled to do just that. The Bears offense is maddeningly inconsistent; they mustered just 12 points against the Vikings in Week 12. Most advanced metrics also say that the Lions defense is underrated.
Recently, however, Detroit is starting to show some cracks. They are allowing 30 points over their past four games. Turnovers have a lot to do with it, but that’s not exactly a comforting excuse.
Chicago’s offense can be unpredictable. They have scored more than 17 points just once in their past five games. But even if they churn out one of their 15-point performances, the Lions have the firepower at their disposal to take care of the rest and clear the “over.”
OSB Prediction: Over 46.5 (-110)
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