San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears
Thursday, 8:00 pm Eastern – FOX
SBG Global Opening Line: Bears - 5 , Total 35
The Chicago Bears will start Kyle Orton at quarterback this season and his first test as the main man comes in Thursday’s preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. Orton won the job over Rex Grossman, although neither player was overwhelming in their play this preseason. Orton is 12-6 as a starting quarterback for the Bears in his three seasons.
“To come to a decision like that, we’ve taken a lot of things into consideration—last year, how we finished the season, OTAs, training camp, preseason games,” head coach Lovie Smith said. “In the end it comes down to a gut feeling that you have, and I feel good about Kyle leading our team.”
SBG Global reports that early NFL betting has the public taking Bears at Home.
Chicago will get a long look at their new starting quarterback on Thursday as the Bears are expected to play their starters into the third quarter. “I think I’ve continued to get better in the preseason, so this will be another step to take.” Orton said, “We’ll get a lot more playing time this week and just try to get ready for Indianapolis (season opener).”
Orton was just barely better than Grossman in the first two preseason games. His quarterback rating was 63.2 compared to Grossman’s 56.5. Those numbers tell you how poorly the quarterbacks in Chicago really have been in recent seasons.
SBG Global Current Line: Bears - 3 , Total 37
While the Bears have settled on a starting quarterback heading into Thursday’s game, the 49ers have not. Head coach Mike Nolan said that all three quarterbacks will get a similar amount of playing time on Thursday with J.T. O’Sullivan starting followed by Alex Smith and Shaun Hill. “The quarterback rotation will be the same for Chicago on Thursday. We have a short week to prepare, and I want to keep the team focused on the Bears,” said Nolan. “The starters will most likely play the first half, with the second unit coming in during the third quarter.”
NFL betting stats show that the two teams have met in preseason action the last three years with the Bears winning two of the three games including both home games. Two of the three games went over the total. The teams have met four times since 2001 in regular season play with Chicago winning four of the five matchups.
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