The Dolphins are road favorites against the Bears in Week 9 as they go for their third straight win. Tyreek Hill, who leads the NFL in receiving yards (961), is closely followed by teammate Jaylen Waddle (727), who ranks fourth. Miami snapped a two-game road losing streak in Week 8 by beating the Lions, 31-26, and will look to build off that effort against a Bears squad that has lost four of its last five games.

The Bears are 2-4-1 against the spread (ATS) over their last six games and will try to win the time of possession battle by employing the NFL’s best rushing attack which is averaging 188.4 rushing yards per game.


Dolphins vs. Bears Odds
Moneyline: Miami (-213) | Chicago (+175)
Spread: MIA -4.5 (-110) | CHI +4.5 (-110)
Total: 45 – Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Game Info: Nov. 6, 2022 | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Dolphins Straight-Up Record: 5-3
Dolphins Against The Spread Record: 4-4
Bears Straight-Up Record: 3-5
Bears Against The Spread Record: 3-4-1

Odds and Betting Insights
Both Chicago and Miami have not been good teams for bettors to place wagers behind. Miami is 1-4 ATS (20%) over its last five games and encounters a Bears club that is 2-6-1 ATS (22.2%) over its last nine home games at Soldier Field.

The one area Miami has struggled to develop this season is its ground game. The Dolphins own the fifth-worst rushing attack, averaging 88.1 yards per game and find a favorable matchup against the NFL’s second-worst rushing defense as the Bears allow 156 rushing yards per contest. Expect Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds to receive plenty of work to keep Miami’s offense balanced Sunday.

Despite being burned by the Dolphins at the betting counter in recent weeks, Miami will likely be one of the biggest public plays on the board.

 

The Bears have followed a memorable Monday night win in New England by trading away a couple of their best players. So with pass rusher Robert Quinn and linebacker Roquan Smith gone only four days apart, what are the Bears trying to do?

Obviously, they’re not trying to do everything they can to win every possible game in 2022. Whether that’s tanking or rebuilding or something in between doesn’t matter, as long as they don’t actually admit to tanking.

They’re necessarily admitting that the path to the postseason is narrow for 2022. They’ve faded into the Minnesota rearview mirror for the NFC North crown, and with both the Cowboys and Giants poised to capture two of the three wild-card berths, the Bears would have a very hard time emerging from a scrum that will include the Packers, the Commanders (yes, the Commanders), and the second- and third-place teams in the NFC West (currently, the 49ers and Rams).

The moves also reflect a recognition that Quinn was likely going to be cut after the 2022 season, and that it was unlikely that they’d keep Smith in 2023. They could have held onto Smith, letting him leave via free agency and potentially getting a third-round compensatory pick in 2024. If, however, they plan to make a splash in free agency when March arrives, they wouldn’t have gotten anything for Smith.

The Bears also are paying millions to both players for the rest of the season, which basically amounts to buying future draft picks. They’ve added a second-, fourth-, and fifth-rounder for 2023. And 2023 is when things will get rolling. Forget about 2022. If Aaron Rodgers retires (or even if he doesn’t), the division could be wide open by next year. The Bears are planning to try to take it over.

It’s a form of tanking. It’s strategically doing less now in the hopes of doing more later. And, again, as long as no one admits to it, the league will never do anything about it.

 

An injury report that looks more like a grocery list is becoming a weekly ritual for the Miami Dolphins. As the team looks to extend its winning streak to three against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, 21 players were listed on the Wednesday injury report.

Six players did not participate, including tackle Terron Armstead (toe), wide receiver River Cracraft (illness), cornerback Xavien Howard (vet rest), defensive end Melvin Ingram (vet rest), tackle Austin Jackson (ankle/calf) and defensive tackle John Jenkins (personal).

Newly signed linebacker Bradley Chubb and running back Jeff Wilson Jr. were both limited, listed as vet rest days. Linebacker Jerome Baker (hip), tight end Tanner Conner (knee), defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (knee), safety Clayton Fejedelm (groin), running back Raheem Mostert (vet rest), tackle Brandon Shell (groin), tight end Durham Smythe (hamstring) and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (chest/ribs) were also limited.

Some positive news, Jevon Holland (wrist), Emmanual Ogbah (back), Zach Sieler (hand), Jaylen Waddle (shoulder), and Christian Wilkins (hand) were all fully active.

All eyes will be on Jackson, who was just recently activated from injured reserve, and if he’ll return to the starting right tackle role instead of Shell.

Despite a long list of injuries, just two games remain before the Dolphins hit the bye week, which will be followed with four road games in five weeks.

Six players did not participate in practice Wednesday, but four of those absences were not injury-related. And the two who didn't practice because of injuries were not expected to practice because Terron Armstead has not worked on Wednesdays all season and because Austin Jackson isn't ready to go yet despite coming off injured reserve on Tuesday, as indicated by head coach Mike McDaniel earlier in the week.

And then there was Xavien Howard, who didn't practice because of vet rest but who no longer is listed with a groin injury. And also wide receiver River Cracraft, who sat out because of illlness but no longer was listed with the neck injury that caused him to miss the game against the Detroit Lions.

Of the other two absences, Melvin Ingram got his customary Wednesday vet rest and defensive tackle John Jenkins was out for personal reasons.

Among the 11 players listed as limited participants, three had vet rest listed as the reason. That included newcomers Bradley Chubb and Jeff Wilson Jr. in a situation that wasn't unusual in the least given that they just arrived in South Florida. The other player limited because of vet rest was running back Raheem Mostert.

 

BEARS INJURY REPORT
Chicago had a very small injury report compared to that of the Dolphins, with only four players listed, though all of them are starters.

Three worked in a limited capacity Wednesday: DB Kyler Gordon (hip), DB Eddie Jackson (hip) and OL Teven Jenkins (back). The one player who did sit out practice was offensive lineman Larry Borom, who missed the Bears' Week 8 game at Dallas with a concussion.

 

Dolphins (-5) at Bears

MDS’s take: A Bears defense that suddenly doesn’t have Robert Quinn or Roquan Smith is going to struggle with the big-play Dolphins offense.

MDS’s pick: Dolphins 30, Bears 20.

Florio’s take: The Dolphins were the only team to beat the 1985 Bears. Thirty-seven years later, the Dolphins simply become the latest to beat the 2022 Bears.

Florio’s pick: Dolphins 31, Bears 24.

 

It should be somewhat easier for him to pick up the system since he's been in a like minded one before.