Baltimore at Chicago

The defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens were supposed to take a step or two back on defense with a lot of losses in the offseason. They were not concerned, as Joe Flacco seemed to be on his way to elite status at QB. The oddity here is that the Ravens' offense has really struggled, while the defense has gotten its old swagger back and has been playing well. After getting torched by Peyton Manning in week one, the defense has not allowed more than 24 points in any of the eight games, and considerably less than that in many of them. Since that Broncos loss, this team is allowing just 17.5 points per game - a number that ranks int he top five in the league! Chicago has once again lost the services of Jay Cutler to a high-ankle sprain and it is just a matter of time before Josh McCown implodes. The Baltimore defense may be the best he has seen in a limited role this season. The Ravens have been powerful when facing a team with a winning record where they are 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 such games. The Bears come in at 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 after allowing 350+ yards in their previous contest. Chicago has also choked in expected close games recently going 2-9 ATS since last season in games with a line in the -3 to +3 range. Meanwhile, under Jon Harbaugh, the Ravens thrive in this role having gone 26-16 ATS in games with that spread range. Take the points on Baltimore.