Panthers vs. Bears Final Score Prediction for NFL Week 5 (Can Chicago's Offense Start Rolling?)

Iain MacMillan | 3 Hours Ago

Sep 29, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) greets fans after the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears are fresh off a win against the Los Angeles Rams and will now look to make it two in-a-row when they welcome the Carolina Panthers to town in Week 5.

The Panthers look like a different team with Andy Dalton at quarterback, but their defense still leaves a lot of question marks about whether or not this team can compete with the better teams across the league.

Let's take a look at the latest odds for this NFC matchup and then I'll break down my final score prediction.

Panthers vs. Bears Odds, Spread, and Total

Panthers vs. Bears Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Panthers +3.5 (-108)
• Bears -3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Panthers: +154
• Bears: -185

Total

• 41 (Over -108/Under -112)

The Bears opened as 4-point favorites. Throughout the week, the line moved down half a point and Chicago now sits as a 3.5-point favorite. The total has moved down one point from 42 to 41.

Panthers vs. Bears Final Score Prediction

In this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets", I broke down why I'm taking the points with the Panthers in this game:

I was on the Bears to win and cover against the Rams last week but to be honest, I was lucky to get that win. The Bears offense continues to be horrific and if they can't get the ball moving against a bottom-three defense in the Rams, I don't have faith in them moving the ball against anyone in the NFL. Their offense comes into Week 5 ranking 31st in yards per play (3.9), 26th in EPA/Play (-0.131), and 26th in Success Rate (39.8%).

Meanwhile, the Panthers have looked like a different team under Dalton and while their defense is still a bottom-10 unit in the league, I still have more faith in their offense than that of the Bears. I can envision the Bears winning this game, but I'm not prepared to lay four points on them.

My final score prediction is also going to reflect that I think this will be a low-scoring game. The Bears' defense is by far its biggest strength and I have little faith in their offense to be able to move the ball throughout the game.

I need to see the Bears' offense figure things out before I bet on any of their games to go OVER their total.

Final score prediction: Carolina 17, Bears 20

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NFL Week 5 Betting Content

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