Bears and Rams Given the Same Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs After Week 3 – Which Is the Better Bet?
- Both the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams now have -160 odds to make the 2020 NFL playoffs
- The Bears are 3-0 after being saved by Nick Foles in Atlanta, while the Rams fell to 2-1 after being unable to finish their comeback against the Bills in Buffalo
- Are either worth betting to get into the NFL postseason? See odds and analysis below
The Chicago Bears have gone with nearly as many starting quarterbacks (two) as they’ve posted victories (three). In Los Angeles, the Rams have twice as many wins (two) as starting QBs (one – Jared Goff).
Both teams, though, are viewed as similar when it comes to making the 2020 NFL playoffs.
Oddsmakers have pegged the Rams and Bears at identical -160 lines to be postseason participants in the NFL playoff odds. Likewise, bettors can hit +130 odds on either team to miss the playoffs.
The Rams and Bears are currently deadlocked for seventh place in this betting market. Seven NFC teams will make the playoffs this season.
NFC Odds to Make 2020 NFL Playoffs
| Team | Odds to Make Playoffs | Odds to Miss Playoffs |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | -750 | +500 |
| Green Bay Packers | -650 | +450 |
| Dallas Cowboys | -270 | +210 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -215 | +174 |
| New Orleans Saints | -205 | +166 |
| San Francisco 49ers | -205 | +164 |
| Chicago Bears | -160 | +130 |
| Los Angeles Rams | -160 | +130 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +110 | -134 |
Odds as of Sept. 29th at FanDuel
Last season, the Rams went 9-7 and missed out on the postseason. The Bears were 8-8 in 2019 and also failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Chicago Bear-ly Getting By
It’s not often an unbeaten team changes quarterbacks, but that’s what the Bears are doing.
Chicago head coach Matt Nagy confirmed this week that going forward, Nick Foles would be the Bears’ starting QB. Foles came off the bench Sunday with Chicago trailing the Atlanta Falcons 26-9 in the third quarter.
The 31-year-old Foles engineered three fourth-quarter scoring drives to rally Chicago to a 30-26 victory and maintain the 3-0 Bears’ perfect record on the season. He finished the game completing 16-29 passes for 188 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Coach Nagy announces that Nick Foles will be our starter for Week 4 against the Colts. pic.twitter.com/YxGulXVr0B
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 28, 2020
Mitch Trubisky led Chicago to its first two wins of the season. He threw for three fourth-quarter TD passes in Week 1 to rally the Bears to a 27-23 verdict over the Detroit Lions. But on Sunday he posted a 71.8 passer rating and Chicago went 1-for-8 on third down with Trubisky at the helm.
Chicago’s already-limited offense suffered a key loss in the Atlanta win. All-purpose running back Tarik Cohen was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
Rams One Call from Perfection
If not for a questionable fourth-down pass interference penalty in Sunday’s loss at Buffalo, the Rams might also be sitting today with a zero in the loss column. The Bills were facing fourth-and-8 from the LA 13-yard line with 25 seconds remaining and the Rams ahead 32-28.
Josh Allen’s pass intended for Gabriel Davis fell incomplete but Rams cornerback Darious Williams was flagged on the play. Buffalo ended up scoring the winning TD on the ensuing play.
Here’s the questionable pass interference call on Darious Williams at the end of Rams-Bills. pic.twitter.com/vu1k92Xi9Q
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) September 27, 2020
Buffalo was all over LA to start that game, opening a 28-3 advantage midway through the third quarter. But the Rams stormed back to take the lead.
LA also owns victories this season over the Dallas Cowboys, favorites to win the NFC East and the Philadelphia Eagles, last season’s NFC East title winners.
Ram Down That Money on LA
Super-sub Foles came off the bench to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl win and a playoff appearance in successive seasons. He’ll have his magic tested most severely by the Bears, however.
Chicago desperately rallied for wins over two of the NFL’s biggest dumpster fires in the Lions and the Falcons.
The @ChicagoBears are the first team in NFL history to win 2 games in a single season where they were trailing by at least 16 points entering the 4th quarter.
They've done it twice in their first 3 games (Week 1 vs Lions & Today). H/T @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/Xh4sYjMpkC
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 27, 2020
In between, the Bears barely beat the woeful 0-3 New York Giants 17-13. Their three opponents are a combined 1-8 this season.
The Rams own a much better pedigree. They’ve posted three successive winning campaigns, reaching the playoffs twice in that span and playing in a Super Bowl.
The Bears should offer a much better reveal on their true personality next week win games against the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, the Rams get the Giants and Washington, which should amount to two more victories.
“@AaronDonald97 rips him to the turf!”
”¡Y aparece otra vez Hulk!” pic.twitter.com/ss4IuOs0HC
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 29, 2020
Perhaps the biggest test of who’s the real deal comes during Week 7. The Bears arrive in LA to face the Rams that week on Monday Night Football.
Of the two teams, the Rams play in the better division but they’re also the better team.
Pick: Los Angeles Rams (-160)
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.
