3 Keys to a Bears Victory Over the Saints
This Sunday, the 2-6 Chicago Bears visit the 4-4 New Orleans Saints. While the Saints have the better record, they have struggled at points this season on offense. Their offensive struggles have seemed to subside over the past two weeks, scoring 20+ against the Jaguars and Colts. The question is, have the problems on offense been fixed, or were these past two weeks just outlier games? The city of New Orleans is hoping for the former because if the offense is figured out, they might be able to make a deep playoff run with their top-five defense.
Meanwhile, the Bears and quarterback Tyson Bagent are looking to bounce back after getting embarrassed in prime time last Sunday. Having an offensive bounce-back may be a challenge for the Bears since they are facing a top-five Saints defense. However, the hope is the defense can look better and generate a pass rush with the new acquisition of Montez Sweat. In order for the Bears to get a victory against the Saints, they will need to follow these three keys to victory.
Montez Sweat Makes an impact
Photo Credit: Chicago Bears
The Bears made a splash acquisition at the trade deadline by adding star pass rusher Montez Sweat. Sweat spent three and a half seasons with the Washington Commanders, where he accumulated 35.5 sacks. This season alone, he has 6.5 sacks, which is equal to the amount the whole Bears defensive line has.
Sweat will make an immediate impact on the defense with his ability to create pressure and free up other defensive linemen. These abilities should be on display against the Saints, who have allowed three or more sacks in four of their eight games this season. If Sweat is that game changer the Bears need, then Saints quarterback Derek Carr will be in trouble and make mistakes. These potential mistakes because of Sweat can lead to the game swinging in the Bears' favor.
Keep the game easy for Tyson Bagent
Photo Credit: Chicago Bears
Last week, against the Chargers, the Bears faced an early deficit, which forced Tyson Bagent to throw the ball 37 times. Being forced to pass was detrimental to Bagent's success, as he ended the day with two interceptions. In order to avoid repeating the same outcome against the Saints, the Bears ground game will need to help Bagent. For that to happen, the Bears must keep the game from getting out of hand early. Keeping the game close will allow Bagent to hand the ball off and soften up a dangerous Saints passing defense. Softening up the defense will make it easier for Bagent to complete short passes. As Bagent showed in his first start, he thrives when he can get the ball to his playmakers quickly. If the Bears' offense can take the weight off of Bagent's back, then they have a great shot at winning.
Slow down Rashid Shaheed
Photo Credit: New Orleans Saints
The Saints' deep passing attack offense found success last week with speedy wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed had three catches for 153 yards and a touchdown in the Saints victory last week against the Colts. That's an average of 50 yards a reception, showing how dangerous Shaheed's speed is.
Shaheed's success this season extends beyond the Colts game. As he currently has the fourth most deep targets in the NFL with 15. Having that many targets downfield shows that the Saints know how dangerous of a weapon Shaheed is. When the ball finds Shaheed downfield, he averages 39 yards a catch. That type of production is why the Bears need to slow down Shaheed.
Slowing down Shaheed will not be easy because double covering him would leave a receiver like Chris Olave one-on-one. The best option may be to pass Shaheed off to a safety after he gets around 15 yards downfield. Even doing that may cause issues for this Bears secondary, so it will be interesting to see how the Brars slow down Shaheed.