Chicago Bears vs New Orleans Saints Week 7 NFL Betting Picks and Parlay Predictions 

Bears Hope to Feast on Saints After Short Week

The Chicago Bears are flying high, but their three-game winning streak stands ready for its toughest test so far: a short week. Following an exhilarating 25-24 Monday night victory in gutting out a game against the Washington Commanders, the Bears have little time to rest and recover in order to get ready for the visit from the New Orleans Saints.

That game in Washington, secured with a clutch, game-ending field goal as the clock ran expired, was the type of character-builder that can seal a season. Yet that physical and mental dumping that such game may put a defense-winning team like Chicago in a compromised position against a hungry opponent. The short turnaround allows less film work, less practice rep, and a bruised and battered roster struggling to get healthy on a condensed calendar. Head coach Ben Johnson's big task at hand will be making sure his team isn't running on empty come Sunday.

Giving the Saints' meeting with the Eagles a thick coat of drama is the health status of their superstar tailback, Alvin Kamara. The veteran was an unexpected "Did Not Participate" at Wednesday's practice, officially with an ankle injury. Nevertheless, his non-appearance lit the fuse on a speculative bomb that went off throughout the league. Unconfirmed rumors are that the 1-5 Saints, with the barrel of a lost season staring them in the face, are entertaining trade bids for their big-name guys, and that the head of the list includes the personable Kamara.

Though people close to the player assert he does not want to go anywhere and the only team he knows, they point to the fact that there's some smoke here that can potentially lead to a fire sale in the Big Easy. His wavering status, be it injury or trade speculation, becomes a huge headache for a Saints offense that can't seem to identify itself.

For the Bears, it's a gigantic opportunity game. A win sends them to 4-3 and establishes them as a very real playoff team. For the Saints, it's a cry-for-help game in an effort to stem the bleeding and silence the noise in a swiftly unraveling season.

The Bears’ moneyline (-235) offers little value. Instead, taking Chicago -4.5 (-110) provides better value. I believe the Bears will win comfortably, and the spread gives nearly even odds for a likely outcome without overpaying for a straight-up victory. They're 2-0 ATS after a win, and there's no reason to expect anything different here.

The Over/Under sits at a respectable 46.5 (-110) for this game - not a difficult hurdle to cross for these two teams. However, they've both been marginal so far this season, the Chiefs 3-3 and the Raiders 2-4 on the Over. It's a coin toss for Sunday's matchup, as well, although I'm going to go out on a limb and say this plays to the Under.