Chicago Bears v Oakland Raiders in London betting preview, free tip, TV details

Free NFL picks, tips and predictions for Chicago Bears v Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

When to watch

Sky Sports Action, 6pm Sunday

Best bet

Under 41 points
1pt 20-23 Coral, Ladbrokes
Back this tip with Coral

Game preview

The first of four London games takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Chicago face Oakland, but those in attendance are unlikely to be treated to a high-scoring affair.

Since the start of the 2018 season Chicago have shown their defensive resilience, holding their opponents to 20 points or fewer in 16 of their last 20 games.

That strength was on full display last week against Minnesota when the Vikings could muster only six points, with quarterback Kirk Cousins struggling to get any rhythm and Dalvin Cook rushing for just 35 yards from 14 carries.

Now the Bears take on a Raiders offence that has been capable at times, but overall is likely to struggle against the fifth-rated defence.

Last week Oakland pulled off a surprise, beating Indianapolis 31-24, but Derek Carr passed for only 189 yards and he will need to be on top form to trouble Chicago.

The Bears rarely put up big numbers themselves – they have scored 17 or more points just once this season – but often do just enough and pick up the pieces left for them by their defence.

Recent London matches have been low-scoring with the last six averaging 35.5 points per game and it is hard to see this fixture being the one to buck the trend.

Oakland arrived on Monday so have had much more time to acclimatise than Chicago, who landed on Friday, and the absence of quarterback Mitch Trubisky puts an interesting spin on the game.

But the first of two matches at Tottenham should be more of a defensive battle than a slugfest.

The lowdown

Venue Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Surface Artificial
Weather Showers, 14C
Vegas handicap Chicago -5
Vegas points line 41

Team news

Chicago
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, guard Ted Larsen and defensive end Bilal Nichols are all ruled out.

Oakland
Guard Gabe Johnson is out while wide receivers Tyrell Williams and JJ Nelson, guard Richie Incognito and defensive end Clelin Ferrell are all rated questionable.

Key stat

Oakland have scored a total of 17 points in their two previous London games.

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