New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears: Complete Week 15 Preview for Chicago
The Chicago Bears continued their downward spiral in Week 14, losing to the Dallas Cowboys. The Bears dropped to 5-8 on the season following their 41-28 loss on Thursday Night Football. After the Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday, Chicago was officially eliminated from the playoffs, via Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com:
"#Lions win 34-17. #Bears officially eliminated from playoff contention. Have now failed to reach postseason 7 times in 8 years.
— Jeff Dickerson (@ESPNChiBears) December 7, 2014"
The Bears are set to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 15 on Monday Night Football. Chicago holds a 15-13 lead in the all-time series, but the Saints defeated the Bears 26-18 in Week 5 of the 2013 season.
Chicago racked up 376 yards of total offense and tied its season high in points with 28, but the defense had no answers for Dallas' Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray last Thursday night. Romo threw for 205 yards with three touchdowns, while Murray had 228 yards from scrimmage on 41 touches with one touchdown.
“If you look at the game, we only hurt ourselves during the game," head coach Marc Trestman said following the loss, via Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "It was a 14-7 game anyway you look at it. We had a fumble. They responded with a touchdown. We had a blocked kick. They responded with a touchdown."
Chicago's loss assured that Trestman's record after two seasons on the job will be no better than .500 after his team finished 8-8 last season.
Despite having a 5-8 record, the New Orleans Saints are still squarely in the playoff hunt in the NFC South. They had a chance to put themselves in the driver's seat in the division last week but were blown out 41-10 at home against the Carolina Panthers.
"We've got to look closely at everything—preparation, who we're asking to do it," Saints head coach Sean Payton said, via ESPN.com. "We're not that good. That's painfully obvious."
With nothing but pride to play for on Monday night, it will be interesting to see what sort of effort the Bears give when they take on a New Orleans team that is fighting for its playoff life.
Here is our New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears preview for Week 15.
Week 14 Recap
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Chicago went into its Week 14 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys needing a win to stay somewhat relevant in the NFC's playoff hunt. Unfortunately for the Bears, they lost 41-28.
The Bears offense struggled for much of the game, only mustering seven points through the first three quarters before scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Jay Cutler finished the game with 341 passing yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a 96.4 quarterback rating. He expressed disappointment after the game about how the 2014 season has played out for the Bears.
"You just want to be in it at the end (of the season)," Cutler said, via ESPN.com. "Unfortunately, throughout the year we've done some things to not give ourselves a chance, and we're upset about that."
While Cutler and the offense struggled to get anything going until the fourth quarter, Chicago's defense had trouble all night trying to keep Dallas' DeMarco Murray in check.
He ran for 179 yards on 32 carries with one touchdown and also hauled in nine catches for 49 yards. His strong performance against Chicago helped Murray remain as the league leader in rushing yards.
"Like a lot of great backs through the years in this league, oftentimes these guys get better the more touches they get," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, via ESPN.com. "I think he's demonstrating that. He just has such a good feel for running the football."
In addition to Murray's strong performance, quarterback Tony Romo threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns.
Chicago's showing against Dallas was a microcosm of its 2014 season. The Bears struggled to get into a rhythm offensively, allowed one big quarter to the opposition and then slung the football all over the field at the end of the game.
With the playoffs now out of reach, Chicago will likely use these final three games to evaluate some players on the bottom half of its roster.
News and Notes
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Ryan Groy to Compete to Start at Left Guard
After replacing guard Michael Ola last Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys, undrafted rookie Ryan Groy may have an opportunity to start on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints, via Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald:
"#Bears coach Marc Trestman says Ryan Groy and Michael Ola will compete for OLG spot after Ola was benched last week.
— Bob LeGere (@BobLeGere) December 8, 2014"
"I’m absolutely ready,” Groy said on Monday, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. “Even when I was on the practice squad, I prepared like I was going to play. I would go into center meetings, and I just wanted to be ready for the worst-case scenario.”
He will be competing this week with Ola for the starting job.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Ola has given up 20 quarterback hurries, four quarterback hits and two sacks in 778 snaps this season. He made starts at left tackle, left guard and right tackle this season, but he has proved he is nothing more than a spot starter.
If Groy can lock down the left guard position in practice this week, he could solidify a 2015 roster spot with a string of strong performances in the final three games.
Jay Cutler Will Remain as Starting Quarterback
Jay Cutler has had his share of ups and downs this season, but Marc Trestman does not plan on benching him this season.
"Jay Cutler, as long as he’s been healthy, has been the guy we’ve had in there and wanted to play," Trestman said, via Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "There’s been no indifference there whatsoever."
Cutler leads the league in interceptions with 15 and has 11 fumbles this season. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported over the weekend that the Bears have "buyer's remorse" with Cutler:
"As for Jay Cutler, there is serious buyer’s remorse. Inside the organization, there is doubt Cutler can lead them to where they want to go
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2014"
Trestman did not directly refute the claim but suggested his team is aware of the "noise."
"There's a lot of noise out there. We're aware of that," Trestman said, via Fishbain. "You get away for a few days, you know how much noise is out there because you're not working 24/7. But we're here to do one thing."
While the Bears are going to do their best to win these final three games, Cutler's performance down the stretch will likely go a long way in determining whether the team tries to move him this offseason.
Brandon Marshall Doesn't Think the Bears and Saints Deserve Monday Night Football
After going into the 2014 season as potential playoff teams, the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints have been disappointments this season. Both teams sit with identical 5-8 records, but because of how bad the NFC South has been this season, the Saints are still alive in the playoff chase.
Regardless of the Saints still being in the hunt for the playoffs, wide receiver Brandon Marshall does not think the two teams should be playing on Monday Night Football.
"Yeah, they should take us both off Monday Night Football right now," Marshall said Monday during The Brandon Marshall Show on ESPN 1000, via ESPN.com's Michael C. Wright.
The matchup on paper sounded great before the season began, but Monday night will now be more about two underperforming teams instead of two teams jousting for playoff seeding.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Chris Conte | FS | Did Not Practice (DNP) |
| Michael Ola | LG | DNP |
| Robbie Gould | K | DNP |
| Darryl Sharpton | LB | DNP |
| Jeremiah Ratliff | DT | Limited |
All injury statuses courtesy of Adam Hoge of TheGameChicago.com.
With the Bears not playing until Monday night, the team did not hold its first official practice of the week until Thursday.
After suffering two broken ribs against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, wide receiver Brandon Marshall was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times:
"Bears make it official and put Brandon Marshall injured reserve
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 8, 2014"
The team also officially placed middle linebacker D.J. Williams on injured reserve with a neck injury and signed fullback Montell Owens to the 53-man roster on Thursday, via Adam Hoge of TheGameChicago.com:
"D.J. Williams (neck) was placed on IR today. #Bears filled his roster spot with fullback Montell Owens, a Pro Bowler in 2010 & 2011.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 11, 2014"
After missing last week's game with a quad injury, kicker Robbie Gould hopes to return on Monday night.
"#Bears K Robbie Gould (quad) didn't practice today. But there is a sense that he'll be ready by Monday. A few more days to go.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 11, 2014"
Free safety Chris Conte, left guard Michael Ola and linebacker Darryl Sharpton did not practice on Thursday. Defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff was limited.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Shea McClellin vs. Mark Ingram
A former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints back in 2011, running back Mark Ingram has become New Orleans' best option at running back.
In 10 games this season, he has rushed for 810 yards on 182 carries with six touchdowns. Prior to this season, he had never rushed for more than 602 yards. He did miss three games earlier this season with a hand injury, but he has been the team's workhorse on the ground.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ingram has had most of his success this season when running behind the left tackle and tight end. He is currently averaging 8.1 yards per carry on 17 attempts behind the left tackle and 6.0 yards per carry on 29 attempts behind the tight end.
If the Saints decide to run him off tight end Jimmy Graham, it will be up to strong-side linebacker Shea McClellin to help slow him down.
McClellin has had his fair share of struggles since he entered the league in 2012, but he has shown some signs of improvement this season. He made the move from defensive end to strong-side linebacker this offseason and has looked far more comfortable standing up opposed to playing with one hand on the ground.
He missed four games this season due to injury, but defensive coordinator Mel Tucker believes McClellin has shown improvement since returning to the lineup. "Every game since Shea has been back since being injured, he’s gotten better and better,” said Tucker, via John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. “Those are things that we look at in terms of developing.”
He has struggled against the pass this season, but he has played well against the run. According to Pro Football Focus, McClellin's plus-7.3 grade against the run is seventh best among all 4-3 outside linebackers.
If the Saints opt to run Ingram to the strong side, McClellin will have his hands full trying to slow down New Orleans' best running back.
Jermon Bushrod vs. Cameron Jordan
Signed in 2013 to protect Jay Cutler's blind side, left tackle Jermon Bushrod has struggled at times this season. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed a team-high 28 quarterback hurries, five quarterback hits and three sacks this season.
He is set to square off against a familiar face in former teammate Cameron Jordan on Monday night. Jordan is a former first-round pick who played two seasons with Bushrod in New Orleans.
Jordan has 44 tackles, six sacks, five pass deflections and one interception this season. He is strong at the point of attack, has a solid first step and does most of his damage as a power pass-rusher.
Bushrod has played fairly well in the run game this season, but if he is unable to combat Jordan's quick first step, Cutler may be in for a long night.
X-Factor of the Week: Alshon Jeffery
Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery heads into Monday night's showdown with the New Orleans Saints just 51 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards on the season. He likely will not beat his 2013 total of 1,421 yards, but he is just 16 catches away from his career-high 89 from last season.
Even when Chicago's offense has struggled this season, Jeffery has remained one of the team's brightest stars. He will now try to replicate the success he had against the Saints last season this coming Monday.
In Chicago's 26-18 loss to New Orleans in Week 5 last season, Jeffery hauled in 10 catches for 218 yards with one touchdown. He credited his teammates for his performance after the game.
"What I did out there, I'm more concerned about the 'W,' not about what I did," Jeffery said, via ESPN.com. "It's a team thing. It took 11 guys to get 200-plus yards or whatever I had."
While Jeffery has not made many highlight-reel catches this season like he did last year, he is still one of the league's best at going up and getting the football. Even though the Saints will likely try and double-team Jeffery with Marshall out of the lineup, New Orleans' defense has been susceptible in the passing game this year.
The Saints rank 29th against the pass, giving up 265.2 yards per game, and they have allowed 22 passing touchdowns this season.
If Chicago stands any shot of defeating the Saints at Soldier Field on Monday night, Jeffery is going to need to be its X-factor of the week.
Prediction
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The 2014 season has been filled with nothing but disappointment for the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. The Bears were coming off an 8-8 season and were expected to contend for a playoff spot in the NFC this season. The Saints were coming off an 11-5 season in which they were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs. Both teams have vastly underperformed in 2014, but the Saints are still in the middle of the NFC South playoff hunt even with a losing record.
Chicago has little left to play for this season other than pride. The Bears have disappointed on both sides of the football this season, but they will have an opportunity to play spoiler against the Saints. Defensive end Jared Allen spoke a couple of weeks ago about the team playing spoiler, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune:
"Jared Allen on what the Bears have left to play for: "Misery loves company." AKA the spoiler role.
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) November 27, 2014"
If the Bears want to play spoiler against the Saints, they will need to prove they can slow down New Orleans' efficient passing game. The Saints rank third in the NFL in passing yards, averaging 297.3 per game. Quarterback Drew Brees has thrown for 3,983 yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Chicago currently leads the NFL with 30 touchdown passes allowed this season.
The Bears should be able to take advantage of New Orleans' 31st-ranked defense on Monday Night Football, but Brees and the Saints offense will likely be too much for the Bears to handle.
Prediction: Saints 34, Bears 30
Record/statistical information provided via email from the Chicago Bears or NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
Follow @MattEurich
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