Bears Saints Betting – Bears’ D Slows Down High-Powered Saints
Chicago’s online betting odds are predicated on their defense to hold the opposition down, and they definitely showed their strength in Week 1. It won’t get any easier this week when they travel to New Orleans to face the Saints, who put up a ton of yards and points in Week 1 and still came away with a loss. The Bears’ defense will be the stars of this matchup in the Bayou.
What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, September 18th, 1:00 PM ET
Where: The Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Pick: Chicago Bears
Why Bet On Chicago Bears
The Bears flexed their muscles in a huge showdown against Atlanta, throttling the Falcons 30-12 at home, and linebacker Brian Urlacher led the way with 10 tackles and a fumble return for a score. Even though the Falcons had more yards than the Bears (386 offensive yards for the Falcons to 377 for the Bears), Chicago forced three turnovers and made key stops when they had to. Urlacher got some help from Julius Peppers, who had two of Chicago’s five sacks on the day. Jay Cutler was 22-of-32 for 312 yards, two touchdowns and a pick, and even though the offensive line wasn’t that great, allowing four sacks, Cutler looked like he wanted to prove something after he took a beating in the aftermath of Chicago’s loss to Green Bay in the NFC title game. Matt Forte ran for 68 yards and added 90 yards through the air, including a 56-yard reception from Cutler.
Chicago committed eight penalties, and that will be a major focus this week in practice. The Bears also averaged only 3.3 yards on the ground, although the passing game was working so that isn’t a huge deal. The line has to improve because Cutler won’t last if he is getting sacked four times a game, but Bears fans are used to seeing this. Receiver Roy Williams left Sunday’s game with a groin injury, which is disappointing because Williams actually looked good, catching four balls for 55 yards.
Why Bet On New Orleans Saints
If the Saints want to keep their NFL betting odds at a decent level, they’re going to have to pony up and pay Drew Brees, who was the only reason they were still in their opener in Green Bay, which ended up being a 42-34 loss. Brees was 32-of-49 for 419 yards and three touchdowns in his duel with the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, but a slow start put the Saints behind the eight-ball. Devery Henderson had six catches for 100 yards and a score, while Darren Sproles had an incredible debut with the Saints, running a punt back 72 yards to the house, and he added 75 yards through the air as well. The New Orleans offense showed that they’re going to be a threat all season, and a performance like that against arguably the best defense in the league was proof enough that Brees, who is in the last year of his contract, is going to get a lot of money, whether it is from New Orleans or elsewhere.
But the defense couldn’t disrupt Green Bay’s rhythm, and they were especially bad in the red zone as the Packers scored on all four of their trips inside the 20-yard-line. It’s going to be a long week in practice if coordinator Gregg Williams has his way, but look for him to concoct more blitzing schemes to get through to Cutler. When it comes to injuries, the Saints got banged up against the Packers as receivers Marques Colston (collarbone) and Lance Moore (groin) left the game, and Colston is definitely out while Moore is a doubt. Finally, coach Sean Peyton will be thinking of that final play call: should he have given the ball to Brees, or rookie running back Mark Ingram?
How It Will Play Out
The Saints should be slight NFL betting favorites at home, but the Bears have dominated them with records of 4-1 SU and 2-1-2 ATS in their last five meetings since 2003, including four straight SU victories. Four of those games went over the posted total, and after last week, the Bears should be confident that they can put up points against the Saints. Chicago also quieted one explosive offense from the NFC South in Atlanta, but can they do the same in New Orleans?
Chicago will claim the upset on the road thanks to their defense as Brees doesn’t have great numbers against the Bears in the past: in three games, Brees has a passer rating of 66.4 against the Bears with five touchdowns and five picks. The Bears will also be out to prove they can shut down an offensive team in a dome, and they’ll be aided by injuries to Brees’ receivers. Take the Bears on the road in your sports betting picks.
Bears Saints Betting Picks: Chicago Bears
