New Orleans Saints (-3) at Chicago Bears
If it were not for the collective struggles of the NFC South, this game would be virtually unwatchable. The Bears, a devastated mess — now moreover with the injury to wide receiver Brandon Marshall — are playing their third straight nationally televised game. Poor America. Thankfully, the visitors, despite their paltry five wins, are locked in a division battle and bring some intrigue to an otherwise lackluster matchup.
Speaking of the road team, wasn’t it always common knowledge that the Saints struggle away from the Superdome? It appears that, even when the Saints took their home field in Week 14 with a 5-7 record, they were expected to dominate the Panthers, giving ten points in a game they would ultimately lose by 31. Now, on the road, against a Bears team arguably in the same class of disaster as Carolina, the Saints are only giving a field goal. This looks suspiciously like the spread is being beaten down by nothing more than outdated theories of a team that has actually proven to be bad everywhere.
Even so, Chicago is worse. Still with opportunities to salvage their season earlier in the year, the Bears hardly put up a fight — in their eight losses, only one had been by a margin of less than a touchdown. When Chicago loses, they lose big.
When New Orleans wins, they win big. Especially on national television. Of the Saints’ four primetime games, their two wins have been by an average of 19 points. Of their five wins throughout the year, only one was by a field goal margin.
The Saints win by ten and cover.
