The Dallas Cowboys host the Chicago Bears as 10-point favorites in NFL Week 8 on Sunday. Each team is coming off a win and will look to build upon third-place standings in their respective divisions. In this post, we’ll continue our NFL odds series by making our Bears-Cowboys prediction and picks.
Dallas opened as a 10-point favorite and has stayed at that number. As of Friday evening, 65% of the bets were on Chicago and 64% of the handle was on Dallas.
Here is our Bears-Cowboys prediction, odds and pick.
NFL Odds: Bears-Cowboys Odds
Justin Fields Continues to Run
While Justin Fields‘ dual-threat status as a quarterback is not a secret, the Bears have started to heavily rely on him on the ground. Although he began the season making plays on the ground out of necessity because of a poor offensive line, Chicago has started to implement more designed rushes over the past couple of weeks.
The results have been great, which means they are likely going to keep running Fields. In last week’s prime time game against the New England Patriots, he ran a career-high 14 times for 82 yards and a touchdown in a 33-14 win.
The rushing TD was his second of the season, with the other one in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers.
Entering the year, PFF ranked the Bears offensive line as the second worst in football and they are now running an ever-changing rotation due to all their injuries up front. While a bad offensive line is typically bad for rushing props, it is beneficial for a QB’s rushing prop because it forces Fields to rely on his athleticism to create plays, which is his best attribute.
Over his past five games, Fields is averaging 9.8 carries and 63.2 rushing yards per game.
Cowboys Pass Rush Is Elite
Continuing with the narrative that Fields creates offense when scrambling, then there is no better opponent for him than the Cowboys. Boasting one of the best pass rushes in football, Micah Parsons and company create chaos with relentless speed around the edges.
A big concern for Dallas is its growing injury list, which lists Parsons as questionable for Sunday. However, he logged limited practices on Thursday and Friday, which would indicate he is more likely to play than not.
Their pass rush has forced mobile QBs to scramble multiple times this season. Jalen Hurts ran the ball nine times for 27 yards in Week 6, and Daniel Jones ran nine times for 79 yards in Week 3.
Though neither of those guys found the end zone rushing, Fields is in a more likely scenario to do so because of how bad Chicago’s offensive line is. Across the board, Dallas leads the NFL in pretty much every single pass rush statistic or metric.
Final Bears-Cowboys Prediction and Pick
When facing a good pass rush, Fields has had no problem making plays on his feet throughout his short career. For example, when he faced the San Francisco 49ers last season, he ran the ball 10 times for 103 yards and a touchdown.
The same thing played out last week against New England, with some designed QB runs continuing to sneak into Chicago’s offensive playbook. At this number, it is worth taking a shot on Justin Fields to score a rushing touchdown, considering how much he will be on the move.
Final Bears-Cowboys Pick: Justin Fields Anytime TD Scorer (+250, FanDuel)
