Saints come marching in to battle Bears
The Chicago Bears (7-6) are hoping that the momentum of last week’s win will carry over into Week 15 as the New Orleans Saints (7-6) march into Soldier Field Thursday night. Just like last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bears should have the advantage of facing a team that isn’t use to the cold Chicago weather. The last two years, the Bears have faced the Saints, who are 1-5 on the road this season, at Soldier Field in frigid temperatures—in the 2006 NFC Championship and in last year’s regular season finale, with the Bears winning both contests.
Kyle Orton and the rest of Chicago’s offense could be in for an explosive night going up against a Saints defense that is ranked 20 th and 26 th in the league in run defense (112.8 ypg) and pass defense (231.2 ypg) respectively. Orton and the Bears’ receiving corps, which is led by their leading receiver Devin Hester and the tight end tandem of Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, should pick up where they left off against the Jaguars. Rookie sensation Matt Forte will be eagerly anticipating the chance of running through the team that he grew up watching in Slidell, Louisiana. That motivation alone could possibly result in a career day for the NFL’s seventh leading rusher.
The big burden will rest upon the shoulders of the Bears’ defense. They will be facing an offense that is ranked first in the league in total yards per game (405.9) and passing yards per game (310.2). In addition, Chicago will have to contain an offense that averages the second most points per game with 28.2. With the Bears’ pass defense ranked at a lowly 28 th (234.2 ypg), many speculate that Drew Brees will add on a huge chunk of yardage to his league-leading 4,100 passing yards and 26 touchdown. Although the Bears won the last two meetings against the Saints, Brees completed a total of 62 passes out of 109 attempts (56.9%) for 674 yards and five touchdowns and three interceptions in those games. The silver lining for Chicago’s defense is that they lead the league in takeaways with 27. And with the stinginess of the Bears’ defense plus the consistency of the front four—who recorded 10 sacks in the last three games, Chicago could be poised to put a stop to Brees’ pursuit of Dan Marino’s single-season record for passing yards of 5,084 yards. Along with stopping the Saints’ aerial attack, the Bears’ sixth ranked run defense can’t forget about the explosive Reggie Bush and Chicago native Pierre Thomas. As a rookie last season, Thomas gained 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the regular-season finale—becoming the first person to do so against the Bears ever.
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Hester has spent all season anticipating a chance to break out in the return game, and could possibly get a chance against the Saints’ 28 th ranked punt coverage unit. But on the flipside, the Bears will have to contain Bush, who leads the NFL with three punt return touchdowns.
The Chicago Bears are optimistic that they will come away with a victory over the Saints, since they will be playing the same team they’ve played the past two years, in the same stadium, under the same weather conditions. And just like the 2006 NFC Championship, this game should have a playoff atmosphere, considering the fact that both teams need this win in order to stay alive for the postseason.
By Clyde A. Speller
ProFootball-fans.com Chicago Bears Correspondent