How did the 2019 Bears team, players stack up against preseason odds?

Preseason odds for NFL teams is a good way to look back to see expectations for the season and start to understand where things went wrong or right. Below, we will take a look at DraftKings Sportsbook’s preseason odds for win totals, division titles, player props and more while we discuss what led to their triumphs or disappointments.

Team Futures

Super Bowl: +1600 (not a chance)
NFC North: +180, favorite (finished third)
Win Total Over/Under: 9.5 (actual record 8-8)

Player Props

Mitchell Trubisky: Total passing yards, 3,800.5 (actual passing yards, 3,138)
Mitchell Trubisky: Total passing TDs, 26.5 (actual passing TDs, 17)
Allen Robinson: Total receiving yards, 900.5 (actual receiving yards, 1,147)
Allen Robinson:: Total receiving TDs, 5.5 (actual receiving TDs, 7)
Tarik Cohen: Total rushing & receiving yards, 1000.5 (actual rush/rec yards, 669)
Khalil Mack Defensive Player of the Year: +500

The preseason hype for the Bears after going 12-4 and winning the NFC North in 2018 was high, but quarterback play rules in this league and Mitch Trubisky was not up to the task, as he finished 21st in passing yards, 27th in passing touchdowns and 28th in passer rating. Trubisky didn’t come close to his player prop over/unders for yards and touchdowns as the Bears finished 29th in points scored.

How they won eight games is a bit of a mystery, but playing a resting Vikings team in Week 17 did help them to 8-8 — keeping them from a losing record. Their defense was above average, but the loss of Vic Fangio and some defensive injuries knocked them down a peg. A less effective defense and an inconsistent quarterback ended up dooming the Bears in 2019.

The only other prop bet was for Allen Robinson, who ended up being the star of Chicago’s offense, as he caught 98-of-154 targets for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns, giving him the over on both his yardage and touchdown props. Even with some erratic quarterback play, Robinson was the only consistent presence of the offensive skill players.

Looking forward to the 2020 season, much depends on Trubisky. The defense should remain above average and they have a legitimate star at wide receiver to move the chains, but Trubisky will need to make a major leap if they want to make any kind of run for the playoffs in 2020.

Chicago should take a page from the Tennessee Titans plan and bring in some real competition at the quarterback position. Trubisky has flashes of true competence but it’s rarely sustained for a full game and if you want to win in this league, you must continually look to improve your quarterback situation.

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