Bear Digest

Vegas seemingly doesn't know what to make of the Bears' recent success

Despite the fact that Green Bay lost some of their best players against Denver, the Bears are home underdogs against the Packers this weekend. Still, they've drawn even when it comes to the division race odds...
Jerry Markarian|
Dec 14, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson walks along the sideline during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Dec 14, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson walks along the sideline during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

There are massive playoff implications at stake in the Bears and Packers' Week 15 Saturday night showdown in Chicago. The Bears currently sit atop the NFC North with a 10-4 record, but Green Bay is nipping at their heels at 9-3-1.

The Bears opened up as 3-point underdogs to the visiting Packers. While that line moved slightly in Chicago's favor (Green Bay is now favored by 1.5 points), I still find it to be somewhat surprising.

For starters, the game will be in the friendly confines of Soldier Field. I know Matt LaFleur is undefeated in Chicago, but you haven't been paying attention if you think this is the same old Bears team he's faced throughout his career. In fact, they're nothing of the sort.

This Bears team has a serious home-field advantage. They're on a five-game home winning streak, with their only loss coming in a disappointing season opener against the Vikings (a game that they absolutely should've won). That was also a much different team than has taken the field in recent weeks, as they knew nothing but losing (they went 5-12 last year and were facing a team that went 14-3).

When the Bears are good, the stadium is rocking. We've heard it all week from players on social media and in the postgame locker room interviews. The Bears are very good right now, and they've been feeding off the crowd at home.

Caleb Williams has also played much better at home. Only one of his six interceptions this season has come at Soldier Field, and he's thrown 11 touchdowns to go with it. His passer rating is 91.4 at home (versus 82.6 on the road). The split isn't miraculous or all that surprising, but it is noteworthy.

Make no mistake, though. The Packers are a really good team, too.

Still, they're a good team that just lost a few of their best players. Their game-wrecking pass-rusher Micah Parsons will be out for the year with a torn ACL. Their best receiver, Christian Watson, went down with a shoulder injury that required a hospital visit. While his status is still up in the air for Saturday, it seems unlikely that he'd be able to be out there on a short week. Starting right tackle Zach Tom and safety Evan Williams also went down with injuries against the Broncos. Their status is also questionable on a short week.

All four of those players played lights out in their first meeting two weeks ago. Those injuries will be key to Saturday's game. Vegas still thinks the Packers are favorites, though? It feels like they're disregarding what the Bears have done recently. I'm not sure about you, but I find that to be a bit disrespectful.

I'm not referring to the 31-3 throttling of the hapless Browns (who beat Green Bay earlier this season, mind you), either. I'm talking about the fact they they went into Philadelphia and beat the defending Super Bowl champions three weeks ago. The fact that they were 14 yards away from beating the Packers (or at least taking the game to overtime) on their own turf two weeks ago.

This is where the confusing aspect comes into play.

Interestingly, both teams currently have even odds to win the division. They're both at +100 after the Bears have been behind the Packers (and Lions) in the division race odds for much of the year.

That is also surprising, considering the Packers are favorites on Saturday and have a much easier schedule the rest of the way. They play a Ravens team that might have nothing to play for (if the Steelers lose in Detroit and they beat the Patriots this weekend) and the Vikings in the season finale. Meanwhile, the Bears have the league's most difficult remaining schedule, ending the year with a road game in San Francisco and a matchup with Detroit at home.

The Bears have squarely put themselves in a position where they control their own destiny, and Vegas seemingly doesn't know what to make of it.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Jerry Markarian
JERRY MARKARIAN

Jerry Markarian has been an avid Chicago Bears fan since 2010 and has been writing about the team since 2022. He has survived the 2010 NFC Championship Game, a career-ending injury to his favorite player (Johnny Knox), the Bears' 2013 season finale, a Double Doink, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Weeks 8-17 of the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, he still Bears Down!

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