Bears vs. Saints preview: 7-2 Chicago gets bye, then hosts New Orleans Nov. 22

The Chicago Bears' next game is Sunday, November 22, at Soldier Field against the New Orleans Saints. Kickoff is noon Central (1 p.m. Eastern) on Fox, per the NFL.com schedule. Chicago has no game in Week 10, so the 7-2 Bears get a full off week after Sunday's 27-24 win over Tampa Bay before the Week 11 game.

For the full season schedule, results and team information, see our Chicago Bears guide. This preview covers how the Bears come into the bye, what to know about the Saints and what to watch as the game gets closer.

Where Chicago stands

The Bears have won four straight, beating Atlanta 31-23 on the road, New England 30-24 at home, Seattle 34-17 in Seattle and Tampa Bay 27-24 at home. Over that stretch they averaged 30.5 points and allowed 22. They have scored 241 points and allowed 184 through nine games, a margin of plus-57.

Both losses came against division opponents. Minnesota held Chicago to a field goal in a 9-3 game at Soldier Field, and Green Bay won 31-7 at Lambeau Field. Chicago is 4-1 at home and 3-1 on the road. The opener, a 59-37 win at Carolina, is still the high-water mark for the offense.

The three-point win over the Buccaneers fits a pattern from the past month. Three of the four wins in the streak were decided by eight points or fewer, so the Bears have been winning close games against teams that kept pace on the scoreboard.

The Saints matchup

The two teams met last season too, and New Orleans is visiting Chicago for the second year in a row. The Saints' 2026 opponent profile notes that the Bears won the 2025 game 26-14. A win this time would give Chicago eight wins before Thanksgiving week and add to the team's 4-1 home mark heading into the late-season division games that will decide the NFC North.

The late kickoff gives the Bears two weeks to prepare. It also gives them more time to get banged-up players healthy after back-to-back one-score games against New England and Tampa Bay.

Injury watch

The official injury picture for this game will take shape in the week of the game. Under NFL rules, the first practice report for a Sunday game comes out on Wednesday, November 18, and final game designations follow on Friday, November 20. Players who left the Tampa Bay game or were limited going into it will get the most attention when practice resumes after the bye. We will update the guide when the first report is out.

How the market prices it

As of November 9, no prices for Bears-Saints are posted on this site's board, which refreshes about every ten minutes. Lines for games two weeks out are often posted late or move around while teams are on a bye. Once numbers appear on venues including Novig, we will report which side is favored and by how much. The starting point is a home team with a 7-2 record on a four-game win streak.

What to watch

• Health after the bye. The Wednesday and Friday reports will show who is back and who still has an injury designation.
• Holding a lead. Tampa Bay, New England and Atlanta all stayed within a score late in the game. Closing out a game earlier would take some pressure off the defense.
• The standings. Chicago will watch Week 10 from home, and results around the NFC North will shape the stakes before kickoff on November 22.