Bears Now Listed as Top 5 Super Bowl Contenders in sportsbooks After Week 14
- On average across the plethora of online sportsbooks, the Chicago Bears rate out as the sixth betting choice to win Super Bowl 53
- In sportsbooks, though, the Bears are their fifth choice
- The Bears’ only win in the big game came in Super Bowl 20
Chicago Bears fans have caught this act before. Fat-guy touchdowns. Dominating defense. Fair to middling quarterback play.
Oh yeah. This looks very familiar. If Saturday Night Live can just recruit George Wendt to film a “Da Bears” segment, all will be right in the world of the Monsters of the Midway.
Sunday’s 15-6 win over the then-11-1 Los Angeles Rams has Chicago abuzz and has people believing that uttering Bears and Super Bowl 53 in the same sentence is no longer an unbearable notion, an impressive turnaround for a team that was a dismal 5-11 a year ago.
The Bears locker room after they beat the Rams last night ?
(via @ChicagoBears)pic.twitter.com/KYpHGbJHhB
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 10, 2018
Even the sportsbooks are beginning to give this notion increased legitimacy. One sportsbook now lists the Bears as their fifth betting choice in Super Bowl 53 odds.
Odds to Win Super Bowl 53
| Team | Odds on Who Will Win Super Bowl 53 |
|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | +300 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +315 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +480 |
| New England Patriots | +700 |
| Chicago Bears | +900 |
*Follow link in table to see complete list.
The Bears’ last visit to the Super Bowl was their 29-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl 46.
A Canadian Fridge
In Canada, they call a sofa a chesterfield, but you know what you call a Canadian fridge? Akiem Hicks.
The Bears defensive end who played college ball in Regina, Sask. emulated William (The Refrigerator) Perry in Week 13 when he took a handoff from QB Mitch Trubisky and pounded into the end zone for a Chicago touchdown.
?On December 11, 1985, Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew released 'The Super Bowl Shuffle' pic.twitter.com/H6PFBMZb6l
— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) December 11, 2018
The Fridge was the cult hero of the Super Bowl 20-winning Bears, and his offensive exploits spawned the prop bet, when a special wager was offered on whether Perry would score a TD in the big game (he did).
How About That Bears Defense?
Smothering defensive play is a trademark of Bears championship teams, whether you’re talking about Wilber Marshall and Richard Dent in 1985, or Bill George and Doug Atkins of Chicago’s 1963 NFL championship club.
.@ChicagoBears @52Mack_ is a problem for every team. The @RamsNFL have a top 5 offensive line in the league and they struggled to stop this “diesel” get to the QB. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/EDuZOriu5P
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 11, 2018
Before Sunday, the Rams had scored at least two TDs and no less that 23 points in every game this season. The Bears held L.A. to 214 yards of total offense and a pair of Greg Zuerlein field goals.
Should You Buy Into The Bears?
Well, what about Trubisky, you say? Can he get them there? Evidently, you’ve forgotten that Rex Grossman got the Bears to Super Bowl 46.
The Bears are back https://t.co/7Pga1XkFP7 pic.twitter.com/N967G3jNMI
— 13thFloorSports (@13thFloorSports) December 11, 2018
As far as we see it, Chicago’s only hope is to somehow land home field, and trailing both the Rams the Saints by two games, that’s just not going to happen.
We still view the Rams as the team to beat – unless they have to go play a cold-weather playoff game somewhere. And at this late stage of the season, that is very unlikely.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
