3 Best Bets for Sunday Night Football: Bears at Texans

NBC will showcase two of the most coveted young quarterback talents in the league in Week 2's premier contest.

Rookie Caleb Williams didn't top 100 passing yards in his NFL debut, but he'll likely take the win anyway so that the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans meet in an undefeated capacity. Will C.J. Stroud use experience to his advantage as a home favorite, or can the Bears D pull out another win in H-Town?

Using the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, here are the best bets for this week's edition of Sunday Night Football.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Sunday Night Football Betting Picks: Bears at Texans

Bears +6.5 (-110)

For a traditional market bet in this game, I'm siding with the Bears at a key number of six plus a hook.

It's an interesting matchup where both units will face the other side of the ball that mirrored their performance in Week 1. The Texans' offense was outstanding, entering Week 2 as numberFire's second-ranked offense. Chicago, similarly, excelled on defense and holds the fourth spot in nF's rankings.

On the other side of the ball, an erratic Caleb Williams effort left the Bears as numberFire's seventh-worst offense entering this game. In turn, a similarly gifted but inconsistent quarterback -- Anthony Richardson -- torched Houston for 0.15 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db), and the Texans enter this one as numberFire's 10th-worst overall defense.

With that uncertainty known, the points seem like the side.

Under 23.5 Points in First Half (-120)

The Bears realize this is a huge spot where they'll likely need to hide their rookie, and this is also C.J. Stroud's first appearance on SNF. I'm expecting a slow tempo where points are at a premium.

Houston posted a rush rate over expectation of 4.9% last week, and expect a similar approach this week. Though Chicago enters as the 4th-best pass defense through Week 1, they were a more forgiving 19th against the rush.

On the other side, Chicago trailed 17-0 points with 3:44 left in the second quarter last week, throwing even their pass rate over expectation entirely out of whack. I still believe this is an offense that will work behind D'Andre Swift and the running game if afforded a more reasonable chance to do so.

These lights are bright; I'd be surprised if these clubs were in the midst of a full-blown shootout behind Williams and Stroud. At least one will likely struggle.

Texans' First Scoring Play to Be a Field Goal (+165)

The Bears' defense flexed its muscle with a scoreless second half last week against the Tennessee Titans, so this bet correlates well with a first-half under and Chicago finding a way to keep things close.

Three of Houston's first four scores last week were field goals, continuing a trend that the Texans have started their offensive scoring with a field goal in six of their last nine contests including last year's playoffs. Some playcallers excel with scripts early, but it appears Bobby Slowik is better as the game progresses.

Houston scored on every red zone trip last week but was just 16th in touchdown conversion in the red zone (55.4%) a year ago. Touchdown as a -230 favorite in this market seems off with the home side's history of slowly ramping up its scoring as the game progresses, and the Bears are a good defense that can get an early stop.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.