Hard Loss in the Big Easy

Coming off a victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, the Chicago Bears couldn’t keep the momentum going when they traveled to the Louisiana Superdome to face the New Orleans Saints. The Bears (1-1) seemed to do a complete 180 degree turn from the previous week falling to the Saints (1-1) 30-13.

Chicago didn’t show any consistency on either side of the ball. The offense displayed an unbalanced attack while the defense failed to stop Drew Brees and the Saints offense in clutch situations.

However, injuries did play a factor in this defeat. In addition to the injuries to safety Chris Harris, receiver Roy Williams, running back Marion Barber, and right guard Lance Louis, Chicago lost safety Major Wright and rookie right tackle Gabe Carimi in the game.

The one thing that haunted the Bears in the first half of last season was exactly what caused their demise. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz called 45 pass plays out of the 56 total plays from scrimmage for Chicago. As a result, the Saints defense knew what was coming and was prepared to counter-attack the Bears’ passing game with an array of blitzes.

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With the o-line without starters Louis and Carimi, New Orleans tallied six sacks in the fourth quarter, with the first sack resulting in a costly lost fumble. Quarterback Jay Cutler threw for 244 yards and a touchdown, but only connected on 19 of his 45 pass attempts.

The lone bright spot for the Bears was the play of Matt Forte. The four-year veteran accounted for the majority of Chicago’s offensive production with 163 total yards from scrimmage (49 yards on 10 carries, and 117 yards on a career-high 10 receptions).

But even the play of Forte playing in his hometown couldn’t help the fact that the Bears only converted on two of their 12 third-down conversions.

Defensively, Chicago didn’t fair well on third downs as well. The Bears defensive unit allowed the Saints to convert eight out of 17 third downs, three of which resulted in touchdowns.

As for the dominate pass rush that was displayed in Week 1, only one sack and one QB hit was registered on Brees; the sack belonging to Israel Idonije.

The season doesn’t get any easier for the Chicago Bears. Next are the defending Super Bowl champion, and division rival, Green Bay Packers. Lovie Smith and the Bears are currently trailing the Packers and the Detroit Lions in the division, and have to get things in order if they stand any chance to repeat as the NFC North champions.

By Clyde Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent