New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears: Breaking Down New Orleans' Game Plan
A week after an embarrassing blowout loss at home, the New Orleans Saints will take their act on the road for a Monday night matchup with the Chicago Bears.
The Saints (5-8) were beaten in every way possible by the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, as they dropped their fourth consecutive home game. New Orleans has nowhere to go but up after its 41-10 loss, and a road trip might actually be helpful medicine right now for coach Sean Payton’s wounded football team.
The Bears (5-8) have also struggled in recent weeks, and they’re coming off two consecutive defeats, both on Thursday nights.
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On the offensive side, the Saints have to like their chances of moving the football. Like New Orleans, the Bears have struggled for the entirety of the season on the defensive side of the ball, and they rank 28th in the league in total defense (the Saints rank 31st). On top of that, coordinator Mel Tucker’s unit sits dead last in scoring defense, giving up over 29 points per game.
Despite last Sunday’s woeful performance, the Saints still field the NFL’s third-ranked offense. It was just two weeks ago that Drew Brees lit up the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road with a five-touchdown performance, and he’ll be looking to get back into a similar rhythm against Chicago.
In the secondary, the Bears play a good deal of zone, mixing in various Cover 2 and Cover 3 looks. Brees, who has a history of shredding similar schemes, will have the opportunity to post some big numbers Monday night, so long as the Saints balance the pass with a hefty dose of Mark Ingram.
Balance is important, but the real key for the New Orleans aerial attack will be pass protection.
The Saints offensive line has turned in some lousy performances in recent weeks, and none was worse than its showing last Sunday, when Brees was hit six times and dropped for two sacks.
If New Orleans can subdue Bears pass-rusher Jared Allen, Brees should be able to find the holes in Chicago’s zone coverages.
Here, we see the Bears in a deep zone against the Detroit Lions in Week 13.
After the snap, the Chicago defenders fall back into their assignments. Lions slot receiver Golden Tate appears to be well covered by nickel corner Demontre Hurst, but a release by Detroit running back Theo Riddick forces Hurst to come up hard in coverage. The release has worked to create a hole in Chicago’s zone.
Meanwhile, Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford looks off linebacker Jonathan Bostic, who’s covering the middle of the field. A quick but effective pump fake to the right by Stafford freezes Bostic for a split-second, keeping him in the middle of the field and thus allowing the passer more room to zip the ball to Tate, who’s been freed open by the running back release.
The result of the play is a 24-yard completion to Tate, which led to a Lions touchdown just before the half.
The crucial aspect of this play is pass protection. Without sufficient blocking, Stafford wouldn’t have ample time to look the defender off, pump fake to the right and then look back to his left to fire a dart to Tate.
Here, we see exceptional pass-blocking on the play from the Detroit offensive front, as the group forms a pocket around Stafford.
Pressure eventually comes from the right end, Allen, at the top of the screen, but Stafford is able to step up into the pocket and deliver quickly, which is something Brees excels at as well.
The New Orleans signal-caller is a master at looking off defenders and finding holes in zones. The Saints also run an offense that loosely resembles Detroit's, and they're likely to employ similar concepts, such as running back releases and swing passes, into their passing attack Monday night. But they’ll have to keep Brees on his feet.
Defensively, the Saints were beyond pathetic last week, and it wasn't the first time this season they’ve fallen to deplorable levels. Coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit will be challenged again Monday night by the Bears, who have a more potent passing attack than what New Orleans faced against the Panthers.
If there’s a singular key to success against coach Marc Trestman’s offense, it’s to apply pressure on quarterback Jay Cutler.
There’s no doubt that the Bears signal-caller has an abundance of arm talent. It’s not uncommon for him to become extremely frustrated when he suffers hits, however, which has often resulted in poor decision-making on his part.
If the Saints are to put Cutler on his back, they may have to rely on their front four to do it. With a pair of formidable receivers in wideout Alshon Jeffery and tight end Martellus Bennett, along with frequent backfield target Matt Forte, the Bears have too many weapons in the passing game for Ryan to become blitz-happy. While cornerback Keenan Lewis has been a bright spot, the rest of New Orleans’ defensive backfield has been consistently torched in 2014.
Considering their struggles on the back end, a two-deep zone is the safe move for the Saints. This isn't to suggest Ryan wholly abandon his aggressive tendencies, but to rely more on his edge-rushers to generate pressure.
One of these, starting outside 'backer Junior Galette, missed Thursday's practice with a knee injury, according to the Saints' official site, NewOrleansSaints.com. If Galette can't go, he'll be replaced by talented rookie Kasim Edebali, who will team with end Cam Jordan to form the Saints' primary pass-rushing duo off the edges.
Of course, the New Orleans defensive middle must also do its part against Forte and the Chicago running game. Nose guard John Jenkins has underperformed throughout the Saints' home losing streak, and New Orleans will need the 360-pounder to maintain control of his gaps on far more occasions than not against the Bears.
The key for Ryan's unit, however, is pressuring Cutler. If the Saints pass rush can deliver frequent hits on the quarterback, good things could begin to happen for the New Orleans defense.
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