Bills vs Bears Odds, Lines, Spread, and Picks – Will Fields Shine Again?
- All eyes will be on the quarterbacks when the Chicago Bears host the Buffalo Bills in preseason action as home favorites
- Bears rookie Justin Fields aims to build on his stellar debut last weekend, while Buffalo’s Mitch Trubisky is expected to see plenty of action against his former teammates
- We’ve got you covered with all the odds and trends ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Week 2 Preseason matchup at Soldier Field
The Chicago Bears aim to build on a character 20-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins in last week’s preseason opener. They play host to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday afternoon as 5-point favorites. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm ET at Chicago’s Soldier Field and televised on NFL Network.
Buffalo Bills vs Chicago Bears Preseason Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | +5 (-110) | +190 | O 38(-110) |
| Chicago Bears | -5 (-110) | -235 | U 38 (-110) |
Odds at DraftKings as of August 20th
Chicago has emerged as a 5-point home favorite in Saturday’s matchup after opening as 4.5-point chalk. While the point total has held steady at 38. Rain and steamy temperatures are in the forecast for game time on Saturday, with the mercury expected to reach a sultry 83 degrees.
Fields Battling Groin Injury
Hopes for the Bears’ upcoming campaign received a huge lift in the team’s preseason opener against Miami last weekend. After spotting the Dolphins an early 13-0 lead, the Bears rallied to score 20 unanswered points on the way to their first August victory on home turf in three years. Much of the credit has to go to rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Selected by Chicago with the 11th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Fields sparked the Bears’ comeback with an eight-yard scoring run. He later sealed the victory with a 30-yard TD pass to Jesse James.
#Bears QB Justin Fields highlights from Preseason Week 1 vs #Dolphins: pic.twitter.com/TxFDyernst
— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) August 15, 2021
The days since that stellar debut have been a challenge for Fields. The 22-year-old was forced to miss practice on Wednesday after suffering a groin injury. He reportedly struggled in his return on Thursday, tossing a pair of picks during a lighter workout.
Those concerns are not expected to keep the 2019 Big Ten Football Championship Game MVP out of action on Saturday. However, his status should be watched closely in the hours leading up to game time on Saturday afternoon. If concerns about his fitness linger, don’t be surprised to see veteran Andy Dalton bear a larger workload against the Bills.
Bears Starters Expected to See More Action
Rusher Tarik Cohen also continues to recover from an ACL injury, and will once again be out of the lineup. But Bears starters are expected to see more action in Preseason Week 2. This includes veteran receiver Allen Robinson, who has reportedly made progress in his bid to return from injury.
Bears coach Matt Nagy indicates that QB Justin Fields will get more time with WR Allen Robinson and other starters and also against the No. 1 defense. He called it part of the “evaluation process” and part of their plan.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 16, 2021
That should give an additional lift to a Bears squad that has compiled a lengthy track record of futility in preseason action on home turf. Chicago has tallied outright victories in just two of nine preseason games at Soldier Field since 2015. This includes five straight-up losses as betting chalk. They have also failed to top 20 points on seven occasions during that stretch. The Bears have also produced mixed results in previous preseason dates with Buffalo, going 3-3 SU and against the spread in their past six. Including a 2-2 SU and ATS record in their past four at Soldier Field.
Homecoming for Trubisky
While the Bears anticipate another big outing from their rookie passer, the Bills are expected to have one of their former teammates under center when they hit the gridiron on Saturday afternoon.
Mitch Trubisky will start for the #Bills against the Bears in Chicago on Saturday.
It’s a homecoming both fanbases are going to be eager to see
— Alexa Ross (@AlexaRossTV) August 19, 2021
After making 50 starts for the Bears over the past four seasons, quarterback Mitch Trubisky signed with Buffalo as a free agent during the offseason and is expected to see significant playing time. Trubisky saw very limited action in Buffalo’s narrow 16-15 victory in Detroit last weekend, but should be highly motivated to avenge his unceremonious departure from the Windy City.
Diggs, Moss Not Expected to Play
It remains unclear how much support Trubisky will have on Saturday, with several of the Bills key starters looking increasingly unlikely to see action. Receiver Stefon Diggs remains sidelined with a knee injury that will once again delay his preseason debut. He is joined in the clinic by rusher Zack Moss, who returned to practice this week despite struggling through a hamstring injury.
#Bills WR Stefon Diggs has missed a few practices and is “still down” for practice today according to HC Sean McDermott.
McDermott said there isn’t any concern, at this point, that Diggs’ knee injury will linger into the start of the regular season.
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) August 15, 2021
However, in addition to enjoying an impressive six-game SU win streak in preseason action, the Bills bring considerable more depth to the gridiron, even with that worrisome list of injuries. Trubisky’s experience playing at Soldier Field in unfavorable weather conditions could be a huge factor. Combine that with a stingy Buffalo defense that has held opponents to 20 or fewer points in six of their past 10 overall outings, and the Bills are well positioned to spoil the party in Chicago with an outright victory as betting underdogs.
The Picks: Bills to win (+190); UNDER 38 (-110)
Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.
