Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints Betting Preview

 

For the first time in the NFL Wild Card era, only one team in each conference gained a first-round bye in the playoffs. In any other recent season, the New Orleans Saints would be at home nursing their assorted bumps and bruises. Instead, they're preparing to play the Chicago Bears in a Wild Card round game in New Orleans on Sunday.

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The 12-4 Saints are the second-seeded team in the NFC, while the 8-8 Bears are seeded seventh. Chicago snuck into the postseason despite losing to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. The Bears had a tiebreaker advantage over Arizona, which lost to the Los Angeles Rams.

Betting Lines and Odds

After New Orleans opened as 7.5-point favorites, the spread has ballooned to -10 for the Saints. The over/under is 47.5 points. On the moneyline, New Orleans has odds of -500, while the Bears stand at +375.

On the season, the Saints are 9-7 against the spread and 10-6 on the over/under. The Bears are 8-8 against both the spread and the over/under.

Week 17 had plenty of storylines, but in case you missed it, here’s NFL Week 17 by the numbers.

New Orleans Saints Recap

The Saints lost starting quarterback and sure first-ballot Hall of Famer Drew Brees for four weeks due to a rib injury. They still went 3-1 during the stretch behind backup Taysom Hill.

Reports indicate that Brees will be calling it quits following the season and heading to the broadcast booth.

In the past, the Saints' success was based primarily on Brees' ability to shred opposing defenses. But this season, their 142 yards rushing per game ranks sixth in the league.

While the offense is a respectable 12th in total yards, it's the Saints' defense that is getting it done. It ranks fourth in total defense and fourth in points allowed.

The Saints allow less than 100 rushing yards and 311 total yards per game. With the defense playing at a high level, it allows an aging Brees to throw more short passes and play a ball-control style of offense.

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Chicago Bears Recap

The Bears somehow survived a six-game losing streak and still made it into the postseason. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was replaced in midseason by Nick Foles, only to be reinstated for the stretch run.

The Bears won three consecutive games to put themselves back in the playoff hunt, then got help from Arizona.

Chicago's statistics look just like you would expect from a .500 team. They give up just about as many points as they score and don't stand out on either side of the ball. Six of their eight wins were decided by one possession, as were five of their losses.

With a ranking of 26th in total offense, the Bears have struggled regardless of who was playing quarterback. It would be surprising to see them suddenly discover some big-play option after 16 games of offensive mediocrity.

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Game Preview and Prediction

These teams met on Nov. 1 in Soldier Field, and the Bears somehow found a way to force overtime. The Saints won 26-23 while outgaining the Bears by 65 yards and winning the turnover battle. Last week, the Saints dominated the lame-duck Panthers 33-7.

The Bears trailed the Packers 21-16 with less than five minutes left last week before falling 35-16. The 10-point spread seems awfully big considering the Bears' ability to keep games close.

It's the playoffs, and scoring generally decreases as offenses get a bit more conservative.

Game Prediction: Take the points and the Bears, and go with the under.

New Orleans 24, Chicago 17

We took it without vaseline our last time out, but go check out our Broncos at Chiefs betting pick.