Finally, Ben Johnson and his Bears Have Earned Bettors' R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Somebody break up the Chicago Bears.

It didn’t take long for Ben Johnson’s regime to turn things around in the Windy City, where the Bears have already eclipsed their regular-season win total (O/U 8.5) with a 10-4 record and now seek an NFC North division title.

Of course, the rival Green Bay Packers stand in the way.

You can watch Saturday’s showdown at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app with Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady on the call from Soldier Field. 

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Green Bay opened as a 3-point road favorite, but injuries to Micah Parsons and Christian Watson, along with Chicago’s quick dismissal of the Cleveland Browns, have the market leaning into the Bears the last couple of days.

Some books are at a pick ‘em (PK), others have Chicago -1.

Finally, some respect.

"I think people are just stubborn," Westgate SuperBook vice president of race and sports John Murray told me. "The Bears keep winning. They are a very well-coached team and are way better than people realize."

"Good coaching goes a long way in this league," one professional bettor added from Las Vegas. "The Bears were a clown show last year with [Matt] Eberflus and then the interim guy. He was so bad I forgot his name.

"Ben Johnson has them believing they can actually win."

Green Bay has won 30 of the last 36 meetings — but whew, the last three were all close. 

The Packers won 20-19 last November, but the Bears took the season finale 24-22. Two weeks ago, Caleb Williams threw an interception in the end zone in the game’s final seconds to seal a 28-21 Packers’ victory.

Personally, I would tease Chicago from +1.5 to +7.5 at DraftKings and hook it to a two-teamer, with Carolina +9 or Tennessee +9. Either one is solid.

Moving on.

Earlier in the day on Saturday, the Philadelphia Eagles will visit the Washington Commanders in what feels like a "medicine game" for the champs. It’s certainly not a must-win, but it feels like they need to leave no doubt.

Prominent injuries derailed a once-promising season for Washington, a team that made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game a year ago with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The organization recently shut Daniels down for the year to avoid further injuries, so Marcus Mariota will get the start.

Philly is currently -7 with a total of O/U 44.5.

"It’s tough to bet money on teams that aren’t trying to win," the professional bettor admitted. "Washington is so mediocre without Daniels. It’s not a game I’m planning on getting involved with. There are better opportunities.

"I will say, though, this could be a turning point for the Eagles. They’re getting healthier on the lines, they cracked the Raiders last week, and then it’s at Buffalo and home against Washington. That’s four straight games against defenses that should allow your offense to fix things and find rhythm.  

"The Eagles might be worth a pop at +550 to win the NFC."

Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and the BetMGM Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Watch him on FOX Sports’ Bear Bets and follow him on X @spshoot.

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