NFL Thursday Game Saints @ Bears
The NFC Conference has been incredibly difficult this year not only for the teams but also for sports betting fans. There are a number of teams in the NFC Conference that are in a position to garner a wildcard berth in the NFC Playoffs. That makes this Thursday night’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears a must win for both teams. The Bears have been desperately trying to keep pace with the NFC North leading Minnesota Vikings. They are only a game out of the lead, but the Vikings are looking strong going into the final three games of the regular season while the Bears appear to be struggling with their defense showing signs of wearing down. The Bears have a 7 and 6 straight-up record and a 7 and 6 against the spread record and at home Chicago is only 3 and 3 against the spread.
The New Orleans Saints needed to beat the high-flying Atlanta Falcons in their last game, and they did. By securing their seventh victory of the season, their playoff hopes are alive, barely. For the Saints, the story has been the same all season. They have a terrific offense but a downright awful defense. The return of Reggie Bush really helped the team this past Sunday. Even though the Saints are only 7 and 6 straight-up, they are a blessing in disguise for NFL betting fans having gone 9 and 4 against the online wagering spread this season.
Here are the BetUS Sportsbook online NFL betting odds for this game:
New Orleans Saints + 3 – 115 + 130 O 44 – 110
Chicago Bears – 3 – 105 – 150 U 44 – 110
Here are a few online wagering trends that might help us find a good online bet in this game:
The New Orleans Saints are 4 and 1 against the spread in their last 5 games on grass.
The Over is 13-4-1 in the New Orleans Saints last 18 games overall.
The Chicago Bears are 4-9-1 against the spread versus a team with a winning record.
The Over is 19 and 7 in the Chicago Bears last 26 games at home.
This game will come down to which defense can stop which offense. The Saints are probably the better team overall because of Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Reggie Bush, but the Bears have enough weapons to stick with the Saints.
The Bears’ undersized defense is going to have trouble containing that Saints’ running game and Brees is an expert at finding holes in the Cover 2.
I’m not going to try and split hairs here and pick the best online football bet against the spread. Instead, I’ll be making an online wager on the Saints vs. Bears game to go over the 44 points. It looks like a lot but there’s no way the Bears stop the Saints offense and the Bears offense should do well against that porous Saints D.
Thursday Night Football Prediction:
I’m betting the BetUS Total to go over 44 in this game.
