Chicago Bears must get familiar with underdog role during 2022-23 NFL season

The Chicago Bears might have to get used to playing the role of the underdog for the 2022-23 NFL season. This is no surprise considering the Bears have a new regime in place, but the betting odds tell the whole story in terms of preseason expectations.

Caesars Sportsbook, the official odds partner of Bet Chicago Sports, has had betting lines for the entire regular season for much of the offseason. The Bears are currently an underdog in 14 of their 17 games for the upcoming season, starting with Week 1 when they are a seven-point underdog at home against San Francisco.

The Bears are at least a three-point underdog in 10 of those 14 games, which is significant because three is a key number in the NFL. They are getting as many as 10 points on the spread in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers and are also 7.5-point underdogs against the Buffalo Bills in Week 16.

Week 3 is the first game in which the Bears are favored, laying 3.5 points at home against the Houston Texas. The Bears are also a 2-point favorite in their home meeting with the Detroit Lions in Week 10. A home matchup against Washington in Week 6 is currently listed as a pick ‘em.

None of this necessarily means the Bears are doomed before the season even begins. These betting odds will adjust over the course of the season, based on what transpires on the football field. Teams come out of nowhere all the time in the NFL, as evidenced by the Cincinnati Bengals emerging from the AFC North cellar to appear in last year’s Super Bowl.

The betting lines do help provide fans and bettors an idea of what the market thinks of the league entering the regular season. Using the lookahead lines, the Bears are viewed as one of the worst teams entering the season. Only the Houston Texans are favored in fewer games, as they are currently projected to be an underdog in all 17 contests.

Fortunately for Bears’ fans, you can bet on all of these games at Caesars Sportsbook if you disagree with that preseason assessment. In fact, Week 1 might prove to be a good opportunity to do so, given the difference in expectations for the 49ers and Bears. The former is viewed as a contender in the NFC, despite also having a second-year quarterback leading the way.

The season opener will be a good first test to see how the Bears perform in this underdog role.

Betting odds for 2022 Chicago Bears

Below are betting odds for the entire 2022-23 NFL season for the Bears, as provided by Caesars Sportsbook: