– Last Updated on November 30, 2022 9:12 am
2020 Bears Gambling Lines
Have you stopped by Cappers Picks today looking for our Chicago Bears Week 1 Starting QB Betting Odds & Handicapping Tips? With most sports bettors still starved for action, it isn’t too early to take a peak into some of the NFL’s fiercer quarterback competitions long before mini camps open.
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In Chicago, newcomer Nick Foles is expected to usurp Mitchell Trubisky as the team’s starter. Foles offers a small -300 payout if he is the Week 1 starter, as opposed to Trubisky, who is paying out at Betonline.
No longer the golden boy
In 2017, the Bears traded up to draft Mitchell Trubisky, quarterback out of North Carolina, with the second overall pick in the draft.
He has been the starter since Week 5 of his rookie season, when John Fox was still the head coach in Chicago.
He went through bumps and bruises in that first season, like most rookies do, but came out the better for it under Charles Nagy in 2018, when he led the Bears to a NFC North Division title and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
Trubisky became the first Bears QB to make a Pro Bowl since Jim McMahon in 1986 but the narrative around the city was more along the lines of the Bears winning in spite of Trubisky.
Last season, Trubisky’s third as a pro, was a step backward when most worthy young assets are taking strides forward. The Bears’ defense wasn’t as dominant, which only highlighted their quarterback’s deficiencies. Trubisky finished with 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and the Bears missed the playoffs.
Too expensive to be a backup?
Now the former golden boy will have to win his spot against a formidable challenger after Chicago made a deal to acquire a former Super Bowl MVP in Nick Foles.
Foles came over from Jacksonville for a fourth round draft choice but also brings with him an exorbitant contract, which he signed a year ago with the Jaguars for four years and over $80 million.
Now, the Bears have restructured the deal to make it a bit more friendly to the team but the fourth round pick will still be the least they have to give up to bring in a quality quarterback to challenge the incumbent.
As a result, most, including Vegas, are speculating that Foles cannot possibly make the money he is making to be a backup. Odds are heavy he will be Chicago’s Week 1 starter in 2020.
Who wins the battle?
But to assume Foles will just be handed the starting job would be to go too far. Remember, he wasn’t great in any of the four games he started for the Jags a season ago and couldn’t stay healthy to start any more than that.
Statistically, Foles isn’t a definite upgrade over Trubisky. In fact, the two are on relatively equal footing.
What he does have is the backing of a fanbase that has given up on Trubisky. He offers someone new, which is what Bears fans are starving for more than anything else.
But Trubisky has an extra year of experience playing under Head Coach Charles Nagy. He also has a greater familiarity with the playbook and the wide receivers. Finally, he has a new contract to play for.
Chicago declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option earlier this month. That has him set for free agency at the end of the season.
That can work two ways. Of course, Trubisky himself will be motivated to do all he can to remain a starter, play well and earn himself a big deal somewhere. Of course, the Bears will be loathe to turn around a pay the same man they declined an option on back in May.
Chicago Bears Week 1 Starting QB Betting Odds and Prediction – Free Pick:
All told, it’s a complex situation in Chicago but one that is probably a bit closer to a coin flip than the odds suggest. Between Foles’ erratic play and lack of durability and Trubisky’s motivation with his back up against the wall, bet on the underdog incumbent to pull the preseason surprise and win the spot.
Whether he holds onto it is for another analysis.
Pick: Trubisky +200
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