Raiders Vs. Bears 2015 NFL Week 4 Odds, Predictions And Betting Picks ATS Preview
By Abraham Gutierrez
As the 2015 NFL season wears on, the (2-1) Oakland Raiders appear to be earning the respect of pro football oddsmakers, as for the first time all year, Jack Del Rio & Co. will be betting favorites when they invade Soldier Field for a Week 4 battle with the lowly (0-3) Chicago Bears. Having that said, the Men In Black should approach this game with extreme caution, because as the old saying goes, "A wounded animal is the most dangerous."
For Raider Nation, there's no question that the level of excitement hasn't been this high since the Rich Gannon – Jon Gruden/Bill Callahan – era. However, underestimating a team like the Bears, who appear to be in "fire sale" mode, could make for a turbulent Sunday afternoon in the Windy City.
2015 NFL Betting Odds (Week 4)
The Raiders opened up as [-3] three points favorites and have remained that way as the week progresses. In turn, the winless Bears have been given a margin of error of a field goal [+3] for those looking to cash in on an underdog bet. The OVER/UNDER for this tricky contest is set at a combined total of 44½ points, and straight-up betting lines for this NFL Week 4 encounter goes as follows: Oakland [-160] vs. Chicago [+140].
This week's clash marks only the 14th time these franchises have met on the gridiron. And while the Raiders come in leading the head-to-head series, 7-6, Oakland has dropped three of five against Chicago. The last time they met dates back to the 2011 NFL campaign when the Bears prevailed by a final score 25-20 at the O.co Coliseum in Oakland.
Raiders-Bears Head-To-Head ATS Trends
Given these clubs scarce history, there's only a single ATS trend to attend to as far as how they match up head-to-head. Against the spread, the Northern Californians have dropped four of their last five ATS meetings with "Da Bears," which should make Raider Nation a bit uneasy heading into Week 4.
Raiders ATS Trends To Consider (Week 4)
From an individual standpoint, Raiders ATS trends also indicate that this game could go either way. Starting with the positive, Oaktown is 4-1 after accumulating more than 250 passing yards, and 5-2 following a defensive effort in which the"D" has yielded a minimum of 250 passing yards.
In contrast, negative ATS trends are abundant for the visitors, making this contest a typical "trap game." One of the most significant stats shows that this team has shown a tendency to get complacent after an ATS cover, coming in with a 7-18-1 mark in 26 games after successfully satisfying the spread.
On top of that, Oakland has also failed to ride the momentum generated by wins where the running game has been effective – sporting a 1-3-1 ATS record after accumulating more than 150 rushing yards rushing – and have struggled tremendously in Week 4 with a forgettable 0-7 tally in those contests.
Bears ATS Trends To Consider (Week 4)
Unfortunately, ATS trends tell a very compelling story as far as Chitown's chances to yield a winning bet in Week 4. John Fox's team has one bright spot in this category, that being the fact that they are 7-3 after accumulating less than 250 total yards in their previous game. Nevertheless, the bottom sort of falls out from that point forward in multiple ATS scenarios.
The Bears are a whopping 6-15 in their last 21 ATS games after allowing more than 150 rushing yards, 7-19-1 after the defense surrenders more than 350 total yards, 7-20-1 in their last 28 home games, and are 2-6, in both, their last 8 games following a straight-up loss of 14 points or more, and in their last eight games overall.
NFL General Consensus (Week 4)
As expected, NFL bettors seem to be aboard the Oakland Raiders ATS train in what appears to be a lopsided matchup. As of Thursday morning, pro-Raiders bets account for 69 percent of the action. Meanwhile, only 31 percent of the betting population believes the Bears have what it takes to either win the game, or lose by less than a field goal at home.
2015 NFL Week 4 Predictions: Chicago Bears +3
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
