Bears open as 3.5-point underdogs vs. Falcons in Week 3

The undefeated Chicago Bears will travel to Atlanta to face the winless Falcons in what’s going to be the team’s most difficult challenge so far this season.

Chicago is coming off another nail-biter of a finish against the New York Giants, where the Bears held off a late Giants rally to win 17-13 to advance to 2-0 for the first time since 2013.

The Bears got off to a hot start in the first half, where they marched 82 yards on 12 plays to score a touchdown on their opening possession. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky looked impressive early, as he extended plays with his feet and threw two touchdowns as a result to help give the Bears a 17-0 lead at halftime.

The second half was a different story, as the offense was held scoreless and the Giants scored 13 unanswered points before falling short in the final seconds. Still, the Bears are undefeated after two weeks, and they’ll surely take it.

But Vegas isn’t buying into the 2-0 Bears just yet. The Bears have opened as 3.5-point underdogs against the Falcons on the road, according to BetMGM.

While it could certainly feel like disrespect — as the Bears are undefeated and the Falcons winless — Atlanta put up 39 points on the Dallas Cowboys and lost. Entering Sunday, teams were 440-0 when scoring 39 points with no turnovers since 1933. Until the Falcons lost on a 46-yard field goal as time expired.

The Falcons might be winless, but they have do have a high-powered offense with quarterback Matt Ryan at the helm. But it’s his star receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley that will prove to be Chicago’s biggest challenge, which means cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and rookie Jaylon Johnson — who have been impressive in these first two games — will be tested.

But the Falcons defense has also given up 38-plus points in their first two games, which should bode well for the Bears if they can put together four quarters of football.

So while the 2-0 Bears are facing an 0-2 Falcons team, this game is easily going to be Chicago’s biggest challenge so far this season.