Keeping Cutler fit vital to Super Bowl chances of Chicago Bears
Published:The Chicago Bears were on the cusp of the NFL playoffs last season until Jay Cutler broke the thumb on his throwing hand and assuming the quarterback can stay fit this season, they have a big chance of Super Bowl success.
Having started the season in dominant fashion to sit top of the NFC North standings, the Bears may still be overpriced at 10/1 for just a second Super Bowl triumph, following their victory in 1985.
Cutler was invaluable to the Bears last season and their playoff dream went up in smoke over the final six games, when Caleb Hanie had to be called upon as a replacement.
Chicago are taking no chances of lightning striking twice in the current campaign as they moved to sign Jason Campbell from the Oakland Raiders to play second fiddle to Cutler.
The partnership that Cutler develops with off-season recruit Brandon Marshall will be particularly interesting, with the wide receiver arguably at his best previously when working in tandem with Cutler at the Denver Broncos.
Meanwhile, running back Matt Forte poses another valuable attacking threat and this trio will need to be at their best for Chicago to challenge.
Chicago are also strong in defence and they have conceded just 78 points in their opening six games, substantially fewer than any other team in either the AFC or NFC Conference standings thus far.
Additionally, they lead the way in turnovers this season and any team that gives up little in the way of big plays will be hard to beat.
The final boost for the chances of the Bears comes through their leadership on and off the field, with coach Lovie Smith knowledgeable in winning titles and defensive stars Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs cool heads when entering play.
Despite having arguably the toughest division with the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers in the NFC North, alongside the Detroit Lions, Chicago are worth siding with at 6/5 to top this pool as an alternate betting option.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
