Saints 31, Bears 15
Drew Brees threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns as visiting New Orleans seized first place in the weak NFC South.
Brees completed 29-of-36 passes without an interception and Mark Ingram ran for 59 yards and a late score for the Saints (6-8), who posted their third straight road victory to move one-half game ahead of Carolina and a full game in front of Atlanta for the division lead. Josh Hill made two catches - both for TDs - and Marques Colston had five receptions for 65 yards and a score as New Orleans outgained the Bears 443-278.
Jay Cutler was 17-of-31 for 194 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions for Chicago (5-9), which lost for the sixth time in eight contests. Marquess Wilson and Alshon Jeffery had TD receptions while Matt Forte rushed for 78 yards - 30 more than the Bears' total over their previous two outings.
The game was scoreless until Brees connected with Hill for an 8-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. New Orleans doubled its lead with 32 seconds remaining in the opening half when Brees hit Colston for a 9-yard score.
The Saints all but put away the game with 8:35 left in the third quarter as Brees found Hill alone on the right side, and the tight end cruised into the end zone for a 7-yard TD. Shayne Graham made it 24-0 with a 25-yard field goal with 16 seconds to play in the period before the Bears got on the board with Cutler's 1-yard touchdown toss to Wilson 2:13 into the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Brees has thrown 35 touchdown passes and only six interceptions while winning 10 of his last 12 starts on Monday Night Football. ... Cutler raised his interception total to a league-high 18, one more than Jacksonville rookie Blake Bortles. ... The Saints, who have lost four straight at home, host Atlanta on Sunday.