Buccaneers Open as 3-Point Favorites vs Bears on TNF Week 5

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Chicago Bears for Thursday Night Football
• The Bucs have won three straight since losing their opener
• Find out below how we think the lines may move before Thursday

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a big win on Sunday and now sit atop the NFC South with a record of 3-1. On Thursday Night Football, they’ll visit the Chicago Bears in a matchup of two teams who have two of the best records in the conference. The Bucs have opened as a three-point favorite on the road. Which way will the Buccaneers vs Bears odds move by kickoff?

Buccaneers vs Bears Odds

All odds as of October 4 at FanDuel

Bucs Come Back To Beat Chargers

The Bucs had an impressive comeback win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. The Chargers had built a 21-7 lead at one point but the Tampa outscored Los Angeles 31-10 the rest of the way. Although Tom Brady threw a pick-six in the game, he also had 369 yards and five touchdowns.

• First-half pick-six
• No Chris Godwin
• No Leonard Fournette
• Losing O.J. Howard
• Losing LeSean McCoy
• Mike Evans fighting ankle injury
• Scotty Miller hip/groin injuries

Brady and Bruce still got the W 💪 (h/t @JennaLaineESPN) pic.twitter.com/msAiNl37Fa

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 4, 2020

Brady was quite sharp, going 30-of-46 and posting a healthy passer rating of 117.0. The Bucs were without wideout Chris Godwin (and will be without him on Thursday) but Brady still managed to connect with nine different players. Mike Evans led the way with seven catches for 122 yards and a touchdown.

Bears Look Like A Shaky 3-1 Squad

The Bears are coming off a loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in what was their ugliest effort of the year. The Colts were in control almost from start to finish. To no one’s surprise, the Bears offense was once again the problem. Even with the decision to start Nick Foles under center (instead of Mitchell Trubisky), the team couldn’t muster anything.

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1312893265931309057

Late into the fourth quarter, when the Bears still had a small chance to win, Foles had compiled just 159 yards through the air on 19-of-35 passing. Sure, the running game wasn’t there to help (just 28 yards before the final drive) and the Colts do have a good defense (first in the NFL in yards per game) but the Bears have to be better than that.

Taking a look back now, the Bears three wins have come against teams that are a combined 1-10. On top of that, they were quite lucky to win any of those games. They’re much worse than their 3-1 record indicates.

Which Way Will The Line Move?

The perception of the Bucs is rising while the perception of the Bears is falling. Tampa Bay started the year with a sluggish loss on the road at New Orleans but has since picked up three straight wins, scoring at least 28 points in each game. Brady now has eight touchdowns and one pick in his last two games after posting three and three in his first two contests.

https://twitter.com/DROYJohnson/status/1312861931728973830

As for the Bears, the general feeling is that they’re overrated in terms of what their record says. Their first three wins this season came against teams who are a combined 1-10. The Bucs have opened as a three-point favorite but expect that line to climb. Bettors are hopping onboard the Bucs bandwagon, so their lines are going to grow by the week.