Jay Cutler boosted Chicago’s NFL betting odds when he was traded from Denver, but he didn’t get off to a good start with a subpar performance in his preseason debut. He’ll try to do better when the Bears welcome the New York Giants on Saturday night.Giants vs Bears Odds – Saturday, August 22, 8:00 PM ET
The Giants won their opener 24-17 over Carolina when Tommie Hill returned a fumble 18 yards for a score with no time left on the clock. New York was extremely balanced, passing for 140 yards while racking up 139 yards on the ground. The Giants’ defense was in fine form, forcing five turnovers out of the Panthers, but they did allow them to rush for 5.4 yards per carry, which has to be improved upon. Still, the Giants showed why many have them in their NFL picks to win the tough NFC East.
Cutler was 5-of-10 for 64 yards in a 27-20 loss to Buffalo, and his interception was one of five turnovers on the day for the Bears. Three of those came off picks by Brett Basanez, whose late touchdown pass wasn’t enough to make up for his gaffes. The Bears held the ball for 22 minutes, and that’s far too long for their defense to be on the field. Chicago also rushed for only 57 yards on 17 carries, but that should be fine by the time the regular season rolls around as starter Matt Forte was left out of the lineup.
Betting services have the Bears as a 2-point favorite at home, but the Giants have won four straight trips to Soldier Field. Cutler needs a good performance in his home debut, but he should Forte in the lineup to take some of the pressure off of him. The Giants looked very good against the Panthers, especially Osi Umenyiora, who had a sack in his first game back after missing all of last season with a knee injury. He and Justin Tuck will form one of the best pass-rush duos in the league, but they’ll probably be spared for most of this game, as the Giants don’t want a repeat of Umenyiora’s injury. The Bears will be fired at home, so give them a chance in your offshore sportsbook.
