The New Orleans Saints are having fun despite the absence of Drew Brees, but can they add to their win totals this season when they face the Chicago Bears’ defense at Soldier Field? The Bears will play their first game after crossing the pond in a matchup against the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago. The Saints and the Bears are +700 and +1600 to win Super Bowl 54, respectively.
Do the Saints really need Drew Brees? But seriously, though, the Saints have been finding success even without their future Hall of Famer quarterback. In their last game, the Saints extended their winning streak to four games with a 13-6 win on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s easy to get caught up by what Teddy Bridgewater is doing for the Saints in lieu of Brees, but the job that is being done by New Orleans’ defense can’t be ignored. The Saints have not allowed more than 10 points in two of their last three games. In addition, New Orleans opponents have averaged just 245.0 yards per game over the last three games. If the Bears misses Mitchell Trubisky again, the Saints should have an easier task of locking up Chicago’s attack.
The Saints are 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 games in which they were the underdogs.
Betting on the Chicago Bears (3-2)
It’s back to action for the Bears, who took a rest in Week 6 following an upset 24-21 loss in London to the Oakland Raiders. The Bears missed Trubisky in that game because of a shoulder injury, and it’s not sounding all too positive with regards to his availability for Chicago’s date with the Saints. The Bears have Chase Daniels on standby in the event that Trubisky isn’t healthy enough to play. Against the Raiders, Daniels had a so-so performance, tossing two touchdowns and two interceptions with 231 passing yards on 22-for-30 completions. The backfield didn’t help much, as the Bears generated just a total of 42 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Like the Saints, however, Chicago always has its defense to rely on and keep the team in step with its opponents. The Bears are third in the NFL with just 13.8 points allowed per game and sixth with 312.2 total yards allowed per contest.
The Bears are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games.
