Saints vs. Bears: Score and Twitter Reaction from Monday Night Football

With four losses in their previous five games, the New Orleans Saints simply needed a meeting with the struggling Chicago Bears to cure their woes.

New Orleans went into Soldier Field and dominated from start to finish, cruising to a 31-15 victory and handing the Bears yet another embarrassing defeat on national television. 

It was a comprehensive effort from Sean Payton's squad. Drew Brees completed 29 of 36 throws for 375 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense sacked Jay Cutler seven times and forced three interceptions. 

The Saints outgained the Bears 443-278, taking control in the NFC South. Brees, who surpassed 4,000 passing yards for the ninth consecutive season, is now focused on using this win as a stepping stone for a strong finish, via ESPN's Mike Triplett:  

In a matchup between two teams that entered the week with three combined wins since the start of November, it began in just about the least surprising way.

Jay Cutler was picked off by Patrick Robinson on the third play of the game, only for Nick Toon to cough up a fumble less than a minute later. The Bears followed with a quick punt, then the Saints turned a short field into a missed field goal. 

Sports Illustrated's Peter King put it simply:

Only one team would recover from the horrid start. 

Brees orchestrated scoring drives of 85 and 95 yards in the second quarter, connecting with Josh Hill and Marques Colston for touchdowns. As ESPN Stats & Info noted, the veteran quarterback was able to move the ball effortlessly against an overmatched Bears defense:

On the other side of the ball, Chicago followed up its opening-drive turnover with four punts and a turnover on downs before Cutler threw his second interception of the game, leading his team into the locker room as a chorus of boos rang out from the home crowd. 

Matt Forte had some success on the ground, but Cutler was under constant pressure and the passing game was horribly ineffective. The ugly first half helped the normally soft Saints defense to a season first, per ESPN's Chris Sprow:

"

#Saints haven't shut out a team for a full half once this season. Til now. #NOvsCHI

— Chris Sprow (@SprowESPN) December 16, 2014"

Marc Trestman wasn't shy about his team's performance, via NFL's Twitter feed:

The third quarter was more of the same. 

Brees easily marched 80 yards down the field on the first possession, capping the drive with another touchdown throw to Hill. Cutler then responded by overthrowing Alshon Jeffery, instead connecting with Pierre Warren in stride for his third interception. 

Those two possessions were a microcosm of each quarterback's play, as SportsCenter's Twitter feed illustrated after three quarters:

Cutler added a touchdown to Marquess Wilson and two-point conversion to Martellus Bennett to make things somewhat interesting, but a couple of poor subsequent possessions—once again foiled by sacks—squashed any thought of a potential comeback. 

At 6-8, the Saints need to beat the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the NFC South. It seems like a simple task, especially considering the dominance New Orleans showcased Monday night, but we've come to expect the unexpected in this woeful division.

As for the Bears, it's quite clear that sweeping changes are coming to both the roster and the front office. 

The latter may just come before the season is over.