The Bears faltered in Week 1 but got in their own way in several instances. At home against a young Cincinnati team in Week 2, look for Chicago to settle in and get back to the basics. The Bears will set the tone early and do enough to get the win. Grab Chicago.

Andy Dalton revenge game?? I think Andy Dalton has some extra motivation this week to beat the team he played the majority of his career with, and if he struggles I think Nagy should be more than motivated to bring in Justin Fields. The Bears struggled in Week 1 against the Rams but that is one of the best teams in the league. They head home for their home opener today and should have a big boost with the return of fans. The Bengals played well week 1 getting the win but that was at home against the poor Vikings. Take the Bears at home to get their first win of the season.

I'm looking to take advantage of some Week 1 overreaction here. The Bears scored only 14 points against the Rams on SNF, but that included a red zone turnover, and once the Bears got down, they had to abandon a run game that had been effective. I don't expect them to struggle nearly as much against this Bengals defense, and I also suspect we're going to see more of Justin Fields. Bears coach Matt Nagy said he was planning to use Fields more against the Rams, but the game got out of hand so there was a change of plans.

I said on our NFL preview show Tuesday that I would probably be forced to back the Bears if this spread got under 3. If you follow me, you probably know I'm a Bears fan but disgusted by the franchise under Matt Nagy. He's the betting favorite to be the first NFL coach fired and I think he will be -- especially if Chicago loses this game. The Bengals will be without No. 1 cornerback Trae Waynes for a second straight game. Depth safety Ricardo Allen is also out. Pro Football Focus gave Allen the highest grade for the Bengals’ defense (85.4) in Week 1 and those injuries may help lousy Andy Dalton a little ... but here's hoping Justin Fields gets a lot more snaps under center. Wait, that would involve Nagy being smart. Cincy is 1-4 ATS in its past five after a win. Chicago should be able to prevail at home by a FG. If not, I'm officially selling my fandom to another NFL franchise.

I thought the Bears were actually playing pretty well while watching the Sunday night game save for a few egregious mistakes, then it all fell apart in the second half. Considering the Rams might be a Super Bowl contender, I'm not ready to pass judgment on Chicago as a bad team. But it seems like that's what the market has done, first dropping the hook off the lookahead line then piling on to move this one under a field goal. Cincy didn't exactly put up a ton of offense last week for playing a full extra period, and Minnesota also had 12 accepted penalties in the game. This seems like a great spot to bank on a Bears bounceback.

Throughout the offseason, the conversation was about the Bengals' offensive line and Ja'Marr Chase's dropped passes. What the conversation should've been about was the Bengals' much improved defense. The defense should do a solid job against a Bears offense that, under Andy Dalton, is pedestrian at best. Joe Burrow looked solid in his debut, and I have confidence that he can navigate through a very aggressive Bears defensive front seven.

The Chicago Bears are a sneaky good play here at -3 or below. The writing is on the wall for Matt Nagy that it's time for Justin Fields and this is a good spot to utilize him in. Cincinnati gave up 336 yards in the air last week and while Joe Burrow can definitely sling it, I believe the Bears defense takes a big step from Week 1 to Week 2. The clock is ticking on both Chicago' head coach and general manager, so give me them at home with their backs against the wall.