Bears at 49ers Pick

Two underachieving teams square off in the first Thursday Night Football game of the year. The Bears have been struggling, especially on defense with the loss of Brian Urlacher. Offensively, Matt Forte hasn't produced anywhere close to my expectations given the addition of Jay Cutler. On the other hand, Michael Crabtree has provided a spark for 49ers despite their 0-3 record since joining the team. Alex Smith has not reached my expectations since regaining the starting job, but he has played better than he'd played since college. Both of these teams still have potential to make the playoffs. The Bears, as strange as it sounds, have weapons on offense while the 49ers are more dangerous than they've been since trading Terrell Owens to Baltimore. San Francisco especially is far from a Top 6 NFC team, but anything is possible in the NFC West.

Vegas has the 49ers as 3 point favorites, giving them the home-field edge. I think the line is perfect. It's a must-win game for both teams' playoff chances. Unfortunately, this is not the year for Chicago. The Vikings are too good, and the combination of 2 teams from the NFC East, the Packers, the Falcons, and possibly even the Panthers who aren't as far away from 7-5 as one may think make the Wild Card race way too congested for the Bears to make a major push without Urlacher. I think San Francisco wins this game, by 3 points. Obviously, I have to make a pick though, one way or the other... so:

49ERS -3 over Bears

Last Week

4-9 Overall 1-3 Bold Picks

Season

67-61 Overall 17-18 Bold Picks