New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears: Complete Week 15 Preview for New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints will try to rebound from last week’s blowout loss as they hit the road for a matchup with the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
New Orleans (5-8) turned in a shockingly bad performance a week ago in a 41-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The defeat was the fourth in a row for coach Sean Payton’s club at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and a road trip could be just what the Saints need at this critical juncture of the season.
Despite its losing record, New Orleans is tied atop the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons. Courtesy of a Week 1 win over the Saints, the Falcons hold the tiebreaker, but every contest is crucial from here on out.
This includes Monday’s matchup with the Bears (5-8), who enter the game on a losing streak of their own. Chicago has dropped its last two contests in convincing fashion, and coach Marc Trestman’s squad now sits at the bottom of the NFC North. The Bears were officially eliminated from playoff contention a week ago.
As for the Saints, they’ll be looking to get their high-powered offense back on track after an abysmal showing last week. Despite the poor performance, New Orleans still ranks third in the NFL in total offense, and Drew Brees and Co. will attempt to right the ship against a Bears defense that has yielded 75 points in its last two outings.
The New Orleans defense, meanwhile, is coming off an equally awful performance. Unlike the Saints offense, however, coordinator Rob Ryan’s unit has struggled all season long. The group won’t find the going easy this week, either, as Chicago fields a capable passing attack.
Continue reading for a full preview of this Week 15 matchup, which kicks off Monday night at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT.
Week 14 Recap
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The Saints were thoroughly dominated in every phase of the game in last week’s 31-point loss to the Panthers.
New Orleans got off to an awful start in the contest, as Carolina marched 80 yards for a touchdown on the game’s opening possession.
Things didn’t get any better for the Saints after that, as they turned the ball over on two of their first three offensive plays. After a Mark Ingram fumble on New Orleans’ opening drive and a Drew Brees interception on the Saints’ second possession, the Panthers were out to a 17-0 advantage.
Carolina’s second touchdown was followed by a scuffle, as Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had a heated exchange with New Orleans defenders Curtis Lofton and Cam Jordan. Unfortunately for the Saints, the first-quarter shoving match would prove to be the most fight they would show all day.
The Panthers took a 24-3 lead into the locker room, and in the third quarter, they picked up right where they left off.
New Orleans went three-and-out on its crucial opening possession of the second half, and Carolina followed with another touchdown drive.
The Panthers relied on stellar play from Newton, who repeatedly gashed the Saints defense with the zone read. He was also extremely accurate through the air, and he finished with over 300 yards of offense and four total touchdowns.
Brees never could get the New Orleans offense rolling, and the game was far out of reach when tight end Benjamin Watson finally crossed the goal line for a meaningless fourth-quarter touchdown.
News and Notes
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Saints-Bears Series
Chicago leads the series, holding a 15-13 overall record against New Orleans.
These two teams don’t have an extensive history, but they have faced off in some important games at Soldier Field, which is the site of Monday’s contest.
Most notable was their meeting in 2007, when the Saints marched to their first-ever NFC Championship Game in Sean Payton’s first season in New Orleans. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Co. hung tough for three quarters, but they fell to the Bears, 39-14.
New Orleans also traveled to Chicago for a wild-card playoff game in 1991. Jim Mora’s Saints were playing in the organization’s second-ever playoff game, and they dropped a 16-6 contest to Mike Ditka’s squad.
While the Bears have owned the Saints in the postseason, New Orleans comes in holding a two-game winning streak against Chicago. The Saints earned a 26-18 victory at Soldier Field a year ago, and they pummeled the Bears, 30-13, in 2011 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Where’s the “D”?
Defense will truly be at a premium in this one. Both squads come in struggling on the defensive side of the ball, as they’ve each surrendered big yards, as well as points, in recent weeks.
The Saints field the league’s 31st-ranked unit in total defense, and they rank 30th in scoring defense, giving up an average of 27.6 points per contest. Ryan’s group has been hit with key injuries this year, and after a slight improvement in the middle of the season, the unit has regressed significantly over the past month.
On the other side of the field, Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has seemingly run out of answers this season. His unit ranks 28th in total defense and dead last in scoring defense, yielding over 29 points per game.
Don’t expect a defensive battle in this one, especially with names such as Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte lining up on offense.
Joe Morgan Waived
Whenever a team experiences a humiliating loss, roster cuts aren’t unheard of. After the Saints suffered just such a defeat at the hands of the Panthers, they decided to part ways with Joe Morgan. In the midst of his fourth season with the team, the speedy wideout was released this week.
He had noticeable verbal exchanges with both Brees and Payton during last Sunday’s loss, and he was suspended earlier this season for undisclosed reasons.
A dangerous deep threat, Morgan was once a promising young member of the Saints' receiving corps. He joined the club as an undrafted free agent in 2011, but he spent two full seasons (2011 and 2013) on injured reserve.
He caught four passes this season for 92 yards, and he also ripped off a 67-yard run on his lone rushing attempt. Morgan finishes his Saints career with 14 catches for 471 yards and three touchdowns.
Statistics obtained via NFL.com.
Injury Report
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New Orleans released its Friday injury report on the team's official site, NewOrleansSaints.com. The report was rather light, but the players listed were all starters.
Most notable among the injured was Junior Galette. The Saints’ starting outside linebacker went down with a knee injury against the Panthers, and he hasn’t seen any practice time all week. Galette is easily one of the Saints’ top two pass-rushers, and they could certainly use his services this week against Jay Cutler and the Chicago passing attack.
Four other New Orleans starters were limited in practice Thursday, including cornerback Keenan Lewis (knee), defensive end Akiem Hicks (ankle), inside linebacker David Hawthorne (hip) and offensive tackle Terron Armstead (neck).
On Monday night, the Saints will be in need of all four starters, especially Lewis, who's expected to lock up with talented Chicago wideout Alshon Jeffery.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Keenan Lewis vs. Alshon Jeffery
Explosive Chicago wide receiver Brandon Marshall is done for the season, but the Bears still have Alshon Jeffery, who’s quite the tough assignment in his own right. The third-year wideout has 949 receiving yards and eight touchdowns this season, and he’s piled up 15 receptions of 20 or more yards.
Keenan Lewis has battled through his knee injury with impressive resolve throughout the past several weeks, and the Saints’ top cover man will be put to the test again Monday night against Jeffery.
Cutler will likely be looking Jeffery’s way often against New Orleans. Besides Lewis, the Saints don’t have a corner who can match up with the big target in man coverage.
This matchup should be fun to watch, and it could very well have a profound effect on the game’s outcome.
Terron Armstead vs. Jared Allen
Another key matchup will pit the Saints left tackle, Terron Armstead, against Chicago defensive end Jared Allen.
Not long ago, Allen was one of the most feared pass-rushers in all of football. He’s accumulated an eye-popping 133.5 sacks in his 11 NFL seasons, and although his production has dipped a bit this year, he’s still capable of wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.
He’ll be lined up across from Armstead on most plays, and the New Orleans tackle will have to hold up if the Saints are to earn a win in this one.
New Orleans’ pass protection has been putrid in recent weeks, as Brees has been hit from all directions. Just last week, he was hit six times by the Panthers and sacked twice.
If the Bears are able to have success against the Saints’ struggling defense, New Orleans will need all hands on deck on the offensive side of the ball. This includes Armstead, who will be charged with the unenviable task of keeping Allen off Brees’ back.
Saints X-Factor of the Week: Pierre Thomas
With his play this season, Mark Ingram has definitely earned his role as the featured ball-carrier in the Saints offense.
Eight-year veteran Pierre Thomas can still get it done at the running back position, however, and the old hand still has some burst in his step.
Long considered one of the best backs in the league at running the screen play, Thomas battled an injury throughout the middle portion of the season and missed four games. He returned to action against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, and he’s since contributed to both the passing and running games in all three Saints contests.
On Monday, look for him to provide the Saints with help in the short passing game. Against the Bears’ zone coverages, Brees will likely look to him as a safety valve on third downs.
Prediction
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Making predictions for Sean Payton’s highly erratic squad hasn’t been a very fruitful affair this season.
The Saints appeared dead in the water after three consecutive home defeats, but then they went on the road to stun the Pittsburgh Steelers in impressive fashion in Week 13.
New Orleans seemingly hit rock bottom again with last week’s lopsided loss, but that means there’s nowhere to go but up.
Look for the Saints’ potent offense to show up in this one, as Brees and Co. will be primed for a productive outing against the Bears’ bottom-feeding defense.
Defensively, New Orleans probably won’t stop Cutler and the capable Chicago offense, but Rob Ryan’s unit should be able to deliver enough hits on the quarterback to slow the Bears down a bit.
Expect plenty of points to be scored in this one, with the Saints coming up with a key turnover in the closing moments.
Prediction: Saints 31, Bears 24
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