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New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears Week 15 NFL Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Both knotted at 7-6 on the season, this week’s Thursday night NFL Network matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears at Soldier Field will determine which NFC team strengthens its playoff chances and which team becomes seemingly eliminated. This matchup is a rematch of the NFC Championship Game in the 2006-07 season, which saw the Bears win to move onto the Super Bowl to face the Indianapolis Colts. Neither team has appeared as a Super Bowl contender this year, but both clubs have proven to be very solid and capable of beating anyone. New Orleans has been the most dominant offensive team in the NFL this season, but its inability to win on the road has cost the Saints in a strong NFC South Division. The Saints are just 1-5 on the road this season and that is why odds makers have listed the Saints as the 3-point underdog with the total set at 44.5.

After three straight weeks on the road, during which the Bears went 1-2, they now have three strait home games to try to make up some ground in the NFC North. Their first home test didn’t prove to be much of a test at all as Chicago beat the Jaguars 23-10. It’s next two opponents, New Orleans and Green Bay, figure to provide stronger tests. The Bears have had New Orleans number over the past two season’s though. As I mentioned above, the Bears beat the Saints 39-14 in the 2006-07 NFC title game, and they beat New Orleans 33-25 at home last December. The Bears are covered the spread in both of those games for their NFL betting backers. The cold and windy Chicago weather does not figure to bode well for the strong Saints passing attack. Chicago has been very strong on its home field this season at 4-2. Defensively at home, the Bears have been very stingy against the run, allowing only 83 yards per game, but they are giving up an average of 275 yards through the air at home. The Bears offense has been considerably better at home where it averages 26.7 points per game and it is a good sign that QB Kyle Orton got things going again last week, throwing for 210 yards and two touchdowns against the Jags. In this week’s cold weather battle, rookie running back Matt Forte figures to be the Bears best offensive weapon against a Saints team yielding 28.9 ppg and 128 rypg on the road. Chicago’s best bet to get into the playoffs is as NFC North champions, but at the moment, they don’t hold the major tiebreakers over the Vikings. Likely, they will need to win out against New Orleans, Green Bay and Houston and hope Minnesota finishes 1-2. If you like Chicago to stay alive in the playoff picture, bet the Bears at -3 at BetUS.

The New Orleans Saints can consider Thursday night’s tough matchup in Chicago as a do-or-die game. If they can get their second road win of the season at Soldier Field, they have a much easier trip to Ford Field against the Lions before hosting Carolina in Week 17. The big issue is trying to both win out and jump the five good teams ahead of them. The good news for this matchup is that the Saints are bringing in plenty of momentum. They have beaten the NFL odds each of the past four weeks and have won three of those games. New Orleans is going to have to do something this week that they have only been able to do once all season and that’s win on the road. Its lone road win came against a lowly Chiefs team to boot. The Saints are averaging just 24.3 ppg on the road while allowing 28.9. The good news is that they will be going against a Bears secondary that has been susceptible to the pass all season long. As long as the weather cooperates, the Saints should be able to move the ball through the air. The Saints offense is averaging 406 ypg with 310 of those coming through the air from Pro Bowl QB Drew Brees. If you think New Orleans can take advantage of the Bears pass defense, bet the Saints at +3 at BetUS.

Before you wager on this Thursday night’s game, make sure you check out Jimmy Boyd’s NFL picks to see who the best in the business is siding with.

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