2002 · Week 3

Final

Saints

New Orleans

QB Aaron Brooks

29·23

Bears

Chicago

QB Jim Miller

Memorial Stadium (Champaign) · outdoors · astroplay · 53°F · wind 6mph

Closing spread

NO -2

Total

40.5

Model margin

+2.0est.

CHI perspective

Push chance

2.1%est.

Win probability

  • Bears
  • Saints

How each play moved the game.

Bears winsSaints wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Saintsedge mapBears
  • -0.006EPA / play-0.129
  • 39.0%Success rate40.0%
  • +0.038EPA / dropback-0.089
  • -0.078EPA / rush-0.197
  • 8.2%Explosive rate7.5%
  • 40.9%Third-down rate33.7%
  • 59.3%Red-zone TD rate64.5%
  • 1.94Points / drive1.35
  • 2.7%Turnover rate3.2%
  • -0.005EPA / play allowed-0.001

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

NO lead 11–6 since 1999

Meetings average 43.2 points. CHI are 7-9-1 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W7NO @ CHI1426CHI
2023 · W9CHI @ NO1724NO
2020 · playoffsCHI @ NO921NO
2020 · W8NO @ CHI2623NO
2019 · W7NO @ CHI3625NO
2017 · W8CHI @ NO1220NO
2014 · W15NO @ CHI3115NO
2013 · W5NO @ CHI2618NO

Box score

Individual performances

Saints

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Aaron Brooks22/3423331

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Deuce McAllister17452.60
Aaron Brooks7284.01

Receiving

PlayerRecTgtYdsTD
Jerome Pathon58711
Donte' Stallworth47431
Joe Horn67421
Deuce McAllister46420
David Sloan24330
Lamont Hall1120
Boo Williams0100

Bears

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Jim Miller26/4023621

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Anthony Thomas271114.10
Leon Johnson177.00
Jim Miller273.50

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line -24.1%2.7%7.1%7.5%3.1%4.7%3.0%

Positive margins favour Bears; negative favour Saints.

Half-point at risk

2.05%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

54.4%

Expected total

43.1est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-0.57
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin+2.00