Defensive Injuries Lead To Increased Over-Under In Saints-Bears Playoff Game

Chicago Bears’ defensive back Buster Skrine is out.
Bears receiver Darnell Mooney is trending downwards towards playing.
Nick Easton and Trey Hendrickson are both out for the Saints.
The over-under opened at 47.5 points but has moved higher closer to kickoff.

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears are set to play the second Wild Card game of the Sunday slate of playoff games.

With that being said, it is time for NFL playoff betting fans to take some of the injuries into consideration prior to placing their bets on the game.

Looking at the Chicago Bears, they have five total players listed on their injury report leading up to the game. Most notably, their star inside linebacker, Roquan Smith, and their young receiver, Darnell Mooney.

This certainly could play an effect on the game for the Bears on both sides of the ball as without Roquan Smith, it leaves a big hole on the defensive line which would allow for Alvin Kamara to flirt with his 63.5 yards rushing total on legal sports betting sites.

The Bears will also be without one of their defensive backs in Buster Skrine which could help Kamara bettors as well with his receiving props.

The Bears are also going to be shorthanded on the offense as well without Darnell Mooney lining up on the field. Without Mooney on the field, it means one less much-needed weapon for Mitch Trubisky to throw to but it could mean an uptick in the usage of Anthony Miller as well.

New Orleans Saints Injury Report

Looking on the New Orleans Saints side of the ball, they have two confirmed players sitting out of this game in their starting center Nick Easton and defensive end, Trey Hendrickson. Without Easton at center, who was placed on IR just four days ago, this could leave a hole right in the middle of the offensive line for the defense to not only be able to defend the run better but also get to Drew Brees faster.

Looking at the absence of Hendrickson, this has the same effect on the Saints that Smith’s absence has on the Bears. It could certainly play a role in the performance of the Bears run game, more specifically David Montgomery.

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Sam Profeta

Samuel has been writing professionally for 4 years. He comes from a sports writing background where he enjoys writing mostly about basketball and football both professional and collegiate. He is a recent graduate of Florida State University where he majored in Editing, Writing and Media with a minor in Communications. During his free time, you can find him watching or playing sports as well as playing videogames and listening to music.