NFL Odds: Brees, Saints favored as they visit Bears on Monday night

The New Orleans Saints have the opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a road victory against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. The Saints are 3-point favorites and will try to win at Chicago for the second time in as many years after beating the Bears 26-18 in a pick’em game there last season.

The Carolina Panthers passed the Saints and Falcons for the division lead on Sunday with a 19-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the Saints can take it back with a victory at Soldier Field despite losing and failing to cover the spread in four of their past five games. New Orleans was blown out 41-10 at home by the Panthers last week as an 8.5-point favorite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Saints saw quarterback Drew Brees throw for a season-low 235 yards yet attempt 49 passes, his second-most in any game this year.

Johnny Manziel's struggles give critics plenty of fodder; more Snaps

Chicago has had some extra time to recover from a 41-28 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 on Thursday Night Football, with the closing NFL odds showing the team as a 3.5-point underdog. The Bears lost wide receiver Brandon Marshall to a season-ending rib injury and trailed 35-7 heading into the fourth quarter before making a late run at the cover. Chicago QB Jay Cutler finished with 341 yards passing and two touchdowns and also scored a TD on a 10-yard run to pull his team within ten with 6:09 left. The Bears are 3-12-1 against the spread in their last 16 home games according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

This New Orleans vs. Chicago matchup could be a high-scoring game based on each team’s current form. The OVER has cashed in each of the past three games for the Saints and has gone 5-1 in their six road games this season. Meanwhile, the Bears have seen the total go OVER in two straight and four of six. They have also surrendered an NFL-worst 29.1 points per game, actually a slight improvement from last year when they gave up an average of 29.9. New Orleans is allowing 27.6 points per game this season, which is third-worst in the league.