CHICAGO (AP) — The New Orleans Saints are back atop the NFC South following a convincing 31-15 victory over the hapless Bears in Chicago.

Drew Brees completed 29 of his 36 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns as the Saints hammered the Bears 31-15. Brees threw his scoring strikes while New Orleans was building a 21-0 lead that was more than enough against the 5-9 Bears. Josh Hill had two TD receptions and Pierre Thomas caught five passes for 83 yards as the 6-8 Saints moved one win ahead of Carolina for the division lead.

David Hawthorne had three of New Orleans' seven sacks and the Saints intercepted three of Jay Cutler's passes to bring his NFL-leading turnover total to 24. Cutler completed 17 of 31 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, but he couldn't get the Bears into the end zone until the fourth quarter.

More From 104.5 THE TEAM