This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Chicago Bears @ 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 2
Who likes to start the season 1-0? Yeah, you do! The Bears D did it (didn't do it?) again, almost allowing the total on their own en route to an easy over. If you dabbled with the Packers on the Moneyline and/or at +1.5 as my leans suggested... Well, you had yourself a pleasant Week 1! I'm also coming off a sweet little 3-0 day in MLB yesterday, so I'm feeling it right now. This week, our Bears travel down to Tampa to take on the Bucs. Let's get after it!
Bears @ Bucs Betting Odds for Week 2
Currently, Tampa Bay is a 2.5-point home favorite after the early line favored the Bears by one. The line got all the way up to Bucs -3 before settling in at the current 2.5 universally. Tampa sits as low as -135 on the Moneyline at DraftKings while the Bears are as high as +125 at PointsBet. The total opened at 44.5 and has fallen all the way down to 40.5 at FanDuel and BetMGM.
Bears @ Bucs Betting Picks This Week
This contest not only offers a strong play for this game, it is one of my favorite bets of the week. Week 2 is often a prime spot to look for overreactions from Week 1, both from a betting and from a fantasy perspective. With the shortened preseason and a week off in between, some teams are rusty, others still don't know what they have, and some fit both of those descriptions. In my view, the Bears are one of those teams. They did not look good against Green Bay, but I like the Packers this year better than most and the result was not all that surprising to me. Tampa's win in Minnesota WAS surprising to me and could have easily been a very different outcome. I still believe the Bears will improve over the season and I believe Tampa will be one of the worst teams in the league. To that end, I am all over Chicago +2.5 as my top play with the Moneyline at +125 immediately behind it. This is a huge public overreaction in my opinion. And, until the Bears D proves it can gel and stop anyone, I believe over 40.5 is worth a sprinkle. My hesitation there is the Bucs and Vikings combined for only 37, and the Minny D might be even worse than Chicago's.
Bears @ Bucs Best Bet: Bears +2.5 (-105) @ FanDuel
Bears @ Bucs Prediction
No team is desperate in Week 2, but no team wants to start 2-0 either. After a sluggish first half against Green Bay, Chicago did get it going a little bit, but it was far too little too late. I see the Bears coming out strong, looking to loosen up the Bucs D with quick passes to Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet. A quick first drive and a Baker Mayfield turnover results in an early 10-0 Chicago lead. The teams settle in a bit in the second quarter and exchange TDs for a 17-7 Bears lead at half. In the second half, Chicago's focus shifts to the run game, but the stout Tampa front keeps that in check while giving Mayfield a chance to bring the Bucs back. A Mayfield-to-Mike Evans TD brings Tampa to 17-14 heading into the 4th. Shortly into the quarter, the Bucs tie it up at 17. With the inside run game shut down, the Bears go back to the short passing game while also getting Justin Fields to the outside in space. A long drive results in a Fields-to-Kmet TD to put the Bears up 24-17 before another Baker Mayfield interception on the next drive seals the deal.
