Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-6.5), Total 47.5 |
Chicago heads out on the road after picking up a convincing 30-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons as one-point home underdogs. The Bears also received great news with the return of linebacker Brian Urlacher.
He returned to the team facilities Thursday after leaving Monday to be with his family to mourn the passing of his mother. It’s a difficult time and the team is behind him. “You can’t replace a guy like that,” Bears quarterback Jay Cutler stated. “You can’t find find a guy like that in the league. He’s the heart and soul of this organization.”
Urlacher is also coming off a huge week after being named the NFC’s defensive player of the week, totaling 10 tackles, picking off a pass and returning a fumble for a touchdown.
The defense must regain its focus in facing one of the league’s top offensive units, as the Saints gained 477 yards and scored 34 points in a loss versus the Green Bay Packers on NFL’s opening night.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has tallied a solid 6-1 mark in September during his time with the Chicago Bears, coming away with a 98.8 passer rating. He has also improved greatly in orchestrating the offense under coordinator Mike Martz, coming away with a passer rating of 100 or more in five of his last seven regular season games.
Bears betting fans will find that they are 2-5 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points, while the ‘under’ is 5-2 in those betting prediction contests.
New Orleans finally gets back on the field after dropping a 42-34 contest to the Green Bay Packers on NFL’s opening night, failing to score from the one-yard line, leaving bettors angry as four-point underdogs.
The Saints offense is as good as ever, as quarterback Drew Brees threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns in defeat, but he’ll be without one of his main weapons on the outside.
Wide receiver Marques Colston suffered a broken collarbone and is expected to miss up to four weeks of action. It’s a huge loss from a player that led the team with 84 catches and 1,023 yards in 2010.
On the other side of the ball, the defense ranks last in the league in scoring defense, which was a huge step backwards from ranking in the top 10 in the category a year ago. “We realize we can be a lot better,” said Saints cornerback Jabari Greer. “It was the first game of a long season.”
There definitely a chance that the Saints drop to 0-2 on the season, facing a team that has won the last four meetings.
NFL betting players will find that the Saints are 9-10 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points and the ‘under’ is 10-9 in those contests. Tightening that trend puts New Orleans at 1-3 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points.
