The Miami Dolphins are heading to Windy City for a date with the Chicago Bears in Week 9 of the NFL season. They’ll be looking to clinch their third consecutive win and sixth on the season – an outcome that is favored by the NFL betting markets.
But the Bears (3-5) will be angling for the win, too. And they have made significant strides in recent weeks, enough to set them up as a potential stumbling block for the fancied Fins.
Will the Dolphins (5-3) come through as the road favorites at the expense of the Bears? Or will they fall victim to the proverbial trap game?
Read on as we preview this early Sunday tilt between the Dolphins and Bears and serve up predictions for your NFL picks against the spread.
Let’s check the latest NFL odds, stats, injury reports, and NFL lines. We’ve plenty of Vegas NFL odds and NFL week 9 picks for you to consider.
Dolphins vs Bears Betting Odds
- Spread: Dolphins -5 (+110)
- Moneyline: Dolphins -220 | Bears +180
- Total: O45½ (-110) | U45½ (-110)
Dolphins Rally to Beat Lions
The Dolphins are a solid 5-3 straight up (SU) and 4-4-0 against the spread (ATS). However, they’re just 2-2 SU and ATS on the road – a run of form that includes a 6.8 losing margin on average.
Tua Tagovailoa and Co. narrowly avoided what would have been an embarrassing defeat to the Detroit Lions – the league’s worst team based on their seasonal record. In fact, the Dolphins had to rally for the come-from-behind 31-27 win at Ford Field last Sunday.
The Dolphins trailed 27-17 at the start of the second half before they began to turn things around. Tagovailoa, who went 29 of 36 for 382 yards with three touchdowns, calmly led two scoring drives in the third quarter, including the go-ahead score to Mike Gesicki.
The fourth quarter went unchallenged by both teams. The Dolphins’ defense stepped up to thwart Jared Goff and the Lions’ offense to hold on for the narrow win.
Tua Tagovailoa is an “ELITE” quarterback in 2022. 👀 #MiamiDolphins #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/V8xWhHzyof
— Big E (@ian693) November 2, 2022
Bears Left Reeling in Jerry’s World
The Chicago Bears were left reeling by the Dallas Cowboys in a blowout 49-29 loss at the AT&T Stadium. But despite the loss, there were plenty of positive takeaways for the rebuilding Bears.
The gargantuan scoreline belies their overall performance, especially that of Justin Fields. The second-year quarterback’s star quality shone through and the strides made by the Bears’ offense as a whole were plainly evident.
Fields had one of his more efficient games of the season. He went 17 of 23 for 151 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 60 yards and a score. Importantly, his chemistry with wide receiver Darnell Mooney and N’Keal Harry was undeniable and that’s bound to improve with each passing week.
From the start, the criticism levied at Fields was his penchant to overthrow or miss targets entirely. Some of that had to do with the lack of depth in the receiving corps. But some of it was also down to his inaccuracy. In the last two weeks, though, he’s really polished that side of his game, improving his accuracy, completion efficiency, and quarterback rating alike.
I BEG the Chicago Bears to get Justin Fields some WRs.. pic.twitter.com/yPASWWy4gC
— m (@downbadbears) October 30, 2022
Dolphins vs Bears Prediction
Although the Dolphins and Bears appear to be headed in opposite directions right now, it would be foolish to overlook the hosts in the betting here. Especially seeing as the Dolphins will be playing their second road game in a row. As well, they’ll be facing the Chicago elements in November. (They didn’t have to deal with the cold Midwest weather in a domed Ford Field in Detroit).
It’s easy to understand why the Dolphins are favored here. As well, as why they’re likely to be one of the biggest public plays this week. Everyone is jumping on the Dolphins bandwagon and rooting for Tagovailoa, who is having a banner season.
And yet, the Bears are 2-1 SU at home after stunning the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 and overcoming the Houston Texans in Week 3. In fact, the Bears could have easily been a perfect 3-0. It came down to a matter of inches with a game-winning touchdown pass stopped short of the line.
That in of itself is reason to consider fading the Dolphins, in particular where the point spread is concerned. Fun fact: The Dolphins are 1-4 ATS in their last five games.
This week, the Bears traded for wide receiver Chase Claypool, giving Fields a new offensive weapon to work with. That’s going to help an offense that has held its own in the last two weeks, averaging 31 points per game. They scored 33 points in an upset win over the New England Patriots (Week 7) and 29 points against a very good Dallas Cowboys defense (Week 8).
The addition of Claypool to an offense that is gaining in confidence is going to have a positive impact and it could lead to more explosive plays against a Miami defense that can be shaky.
“The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.”
