Bears at Saints (-7)
Is it time? Can we do it? Can we crown them? The Bears just dismantled last year’s number one seed in the NFC. Let's say that again because it feels so good. The Bears just dismantled last year’s number one seed in the NFC. It was a beautiful display of defense, and a solid performance from the offense and special teams. Wire to wire, you felt like the Bears were the better team. Peppers had Matt Ryan on is backside so often that he owed him cab fare back to Atlanta. Jay Cutler was a dreamboat, Matt Forte deserves to get CJ money, and Brian Urlacher made me think it was 2005. It was a wonderful Sunday afternoon.
How can the Bears not go 16-0? Who could possibly beat them?
Then looked at the next two weeks on the Bears’ schedule and saw two teams who could ruin the undefeated dream. I also realized that Atlanta isn't so great on the road, they were installing a brand new offense, and doing so against a Bears team who has been running their defensive scheme for the better part of the last decade. I take nothing away from the Bears, it was a great victory, but the Saints, on the road, will most likely play out a little differently.
The Saints
This week we visit with our old buddy, Olin Kreutz. Who better to help dissect a team than one of its former captains? He is the ideal advanced scout to break apart what the bears do and don't do well. The 13 year former Bear knows calls on both sides of the ball and should be of some assistance to Sean Payton this week.
Are you nervous yet? No?
Well then let’s discuss Drew Brees having 3 healthy and dynamic running backs this year. PT/Ingram/Sproles will undoubtedly help open up play action and makes that offense one of the best in the league and very scary on Sunday. This is still the same Drew Brees that threw for 400 yards against a super bowl champion defense in Green Bay last week.
How about now? Feeling a little more uneasy?
The Bears will be going into a very hostile and rowdy Superdome. We’ve all watch Jay Cutler turn into Rex Grossman on the road these past two season throwing the ball to opposing defenses as much he has his own receivers.
Does picturing Cutler, with his head down, walking towards the sidelines, after a pick 6, with the dome geauxing crazy start to upset your stomach? It should, it’s given me the pukes in my mouths.
I'm nervous going into this week, I respect the hell out of Drew Brees, Sean Payton, Gregg Williams, and the noise 76,000 Saints fans can make. The Bears, undoubtedly, face an uphill battle
The Bears
Despite all that, I do think the Bears matchup favorably against the Saints this week.
Jay Cutler looked extremely comfortable to me all preseason in the pocket and in Martz’s offense. His hard work in the offseason on his footwork seems to have paid dividends. We didn't see any of those awkward off his back foot throws he’s known for against Atlanta (even though the Falcons dropped two picks).
He was sacked 4 times so let’s not pretend that problem doesn’t exist anymore, but it wasn’t the same type of sack we saw last year. Watching last Sunday, you got the feeling that, with the exception of Jamarcus Webb, we were looking at a pretty solid O-line for the year. I’m not saying great, but pretty solid.
Ok, I’m not saying solid, but better than last year.
I believe special teams could be huge for the Bears this week. During the last 4 years, the Bears have been, by far, the best kick return and coverage units in the NFL. Not only will this allow the Bears to win the field position game, but I’m going to call a Devin Hester “YOU ARE RIDICULOUS” moment. We watched a 108 TD yard return from Green Bay’s Randall Cobb last week against the Saints and I’m going to go out on a limb and boldly predict the Bears have a good chance to do the same this weekend.
But the sexiest part of this year’s Bears is the defense. The interior D-line looks solid for the first time since Tommie Harris blew his knew out in 2007. Peppers, Melton, Idonije, and Reed gave me a boner watching them last Sunday against a below average Falcons line. They sacked Matt Ryan 5 times even through Ryan was sacked an average of less than twice a game last year. Not bad fellas. This unit will most likely keep Brees’s feet moving and keep him uncomfortable in the pocket. The D-line could honestly be at the talent level the Giants had the year they upset Patriots in the Super bowl if they continue on the same path this entire season.
Urlacher and Tillman showed that they have aged like a fine wine. The beautiful diving interception for Urlacher and a timely punch out forced fumble by Tillman, the 25th of his career, showed why these two are lifers in this defense. I absolutely love our defense. I'll admit even I was feeling a little shuffle coming on when I was watching them destroy Atalanta last week. I read a great headline in the Tribune this week. "Chicago bears got to see the Atlanta Falcons new dynamic offense and then destroyed it".
Finally, I think we do win a very important, not much discussed kicker battle. Robbie Gould is the most accurate kicker in the NFL while John Kasey was at a PTA meeting two weeks ago retired from football. Gould was booming balls out of bounds on kickoffs outdoors, and that tells me when he gets in the dome, the Saints starting field position will probably average somewhere around the 20.
The Prediction
I still feel the bears are stronger in 2 phases of the game, defense and special teams. I think anyone would admit they are not as good as New Orleans on offense, but in previous Bears Saints matchups, that’s always been the case. I expect the bears to win. I expect a great game start to finish. A better defense and better field position will give the Bears just enough of an edge to pull off the win in New Orleans. After this week’s game we will have a much better feel for where our beloved rank against the NFL’s best.
Win or lose, let’s not forget this is an extremely long season, we need to keep things in perspective, not overreact, and start making bold claims about how awesome or terrible the Bears are after just TWO games…but you gotta admit it’s always fun to dream about that Super Bowl parade going through Downtown Chicago.
Bears 20 Saints 17
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