LAKE FOREST, Ill. — There’s no such thing as a “gimme” in the NFL. It doesn’t matter who’s favored or how many games anybody’s won or lost in a row.

The Bears are in a particularly vulnerable position, coming off back-to-back emotional, last-second, gutted-out wins on the road over the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders. Now they’ll face a 1-5 New Orleans Saints team that hasn’t found its footing under first-year head coach Kellen Moore.

It’s a game some might expect the Bears to have circled as a breakout, both for the offense and defense. But it’s just as dangerous as a potential trap for the surging Bears.

So, how can the Bears avoid the trap — and avoid their eighth consecutive loss to the Saints dating back to 2011?

It’s all in the messaging and mindset.

“This is the next opponent,” coach Ben Johnson said Friday. “And I think we’ve been pretty consistent about the message … that this is an improving team, this is a bunch of prideful guys and they’re desperately looking to get their second win of the season. We’re desperately looking not to give that to them. Our guys, they’re feeling like the urgency is where it should be. It’s normal for us at this point.”

After all, this is just another game on the schedule. The head coach isn’t paying attention to any point spread – even if the Bears are favored by 5.5 points on Sunday.

“I didn’t know that we were favored,” Johnson said. “I don’t really pay a ton of attention to that type of stuff unless it gets shown to me. It wasn’t this week. That’s what happens when you win three in a row. All I know is that we have yet to play our best football and what we’re capable of doing. When you turn on that tape from last week, there’s a number of things we need to clean up that we’ve talked about. I do think we’re getting better in certain aspects, but we’re still in a race there to get as good as we can be for December.

That brings us to our predictions for Week 7…

Adam Jahns

2025 record: 4-1

Caleb Williams’ history with Saints QB Spencer Rattler adds some extra spice to this matchup. Rattler surely will be motivated to play well, considering his college career changed when Oklahoma benched him in favor of Williams.

That said, the Bears are the better team. Ben Johnson’s offense stays on the right path, Williams shows more signs of development and Dennis Allen’s defense delivers more takeaways against his former team.

Bears 27, Saints 20

Adam Hoge

2025 record: 3-2

D’Andre Swift’s sudden groin injury could make things interesting, but the Bears have a decided advantage with their wide receivers in this game. 

Caleb Williams should have plenty of success throwing the ball, and while the Saints have proven to be a tough out at home, they lost both of their road games by double-digits.

Bears 27, Saints 17

Greg Braggs Jr.

2025 record: 3-2

Seems like each week the Bears’ offense checks a new box. Last week, it was the run game. This week? How about the tight ends! Why not? Expect Colston Loveland to get in on the action this week. Bears continue to streak. Four in a row on its way!

Bears 31, Saints 17

Mark Carman

2025 record: 3-2

You have to go back to Year 1 of Matt Nagy for the last time the Bears won four in a row. They had winning streaks of three, four and five games in 2018 before the double-doink death. It is now Year 1 of Ben Johnson, and the Bears’ running game is starting to take shape, along with Dennis Allen’s defense.

Meanwhile, the Saints were competitive last week vs New England, beat the Giants the week prior and have a quarterback in Spencer Rattler who would love to rattle former Oklahoma teammate Caleb Williams and get a win.

The Saints feel like a sexy upset pick with rain in the forecast and Jake Moody kicking for the Bears. I’m just not that sexy.

Bears 28, Saints 22

Patrick Norton

2025 record: 2-3

I think we’ve reached the point where Ben Johnson deserves the benefit of the doubt, at least when it comes to game prep.

Yes, this is the textbook example of a trap game, but Johnson has said all of the right things this week, and his staff seems locked in on the task at hand.

The Bears’ defense is taking the ball away at a top rate in the league and I don’t exactly expect that to stop against Spencer Rattler playing on the road.

Maybe a slow start keeps things close for a while, but for the first time this season, I can’t justify a reason for picking against the Bears.

Bears 31, Saints 13

Jerry Azumah

2025 record: 2-3

Bears 26, Saints 19

Corey Wootton

2025 record: 2-3

Bears 34, Saints 21

Stephen Nicholas

2025 record: 2-3

I don’t usually make any grand proclamations on these predictions, but at the risk of being ridiculed on our postgame show, I’m going to anyway. I’m not buying into any ‘trap game’ narratives.

Statement game for Caleb Williams incoming. With a fourth-straight win at stake, Caleb dominates with his arm against a Saints D that’s tied for the 3rd-most pass TDs allowed and his legs (4th-most rush yards allowed to QBs). Caleb throws for 3 TDs to give him 32 in his young career, one more than Troy Aikman accumulated in the first THREE seasons of his career.

Bears 31, Saints 12

Lance Briggs

2025 record: 1-4

Bears 27, Saints 20