Bettors back Chicago Bears, under vs. Washington Redskins on ‘MNF’

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was a trendy preseason pick to win the NFL MVP award this season and Chicago was one of the most popular picks to win the Super Bowl.

But Trubisky and the Bears have been a big disappointment so far, scoring only 19 points while splitting their first two games against the Packers (10-3 loss) and Broncos (16-14 win).

Despite Chicago’s slow start, recreational and sharp bettors are backing the Bears as 5½-point road favorites over the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. The line opened at 4 and a respected bettor at Caesars Entertainment placed a wager on Chicago minus 4½, according to oddsmaker Alan Berg.

“This is a huge game for the Bears on many fronts. If they lose, they’ll be in last place in the NFC North,” Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “There’s a lot more pressure on Mitchell Trubisky to produce against a Redskins team that’s not very good defensively and has some injuries on the back end.

“The Bears only gave up 10 points against the Packers and 14 to the Broncos but they could easily be 0-2. Their offense just isn’t matching the productivity of their defense. There’s pressure on the Bears offense to get on track and open it up a bit.”

Las Vegas sportsbooks will need Washington (0-2, 1-1 ATS) to cover as the vast majority of parlays from the weekend are tied to Chicago (1-1, 0-2 ATS).

The total is 41 after opening at 42½.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.