New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears: Full Report Card Grades for New Orleans
With a 31-15 victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, the New Orleans Saints seized sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
The Saints (6-8) led 14-0 at the half and took a commanding 24-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
Coach Sean Payton’s club earned its third consecutive road victory, as the Saints took full advantage of a struggling Bears squad that appears to be regressing by the week.
After a scoreless first quarter, New Orleans got on the board early in the second period with an eight-yard scoring strike from quarterback Drew Brees to tight end Josh Hill.
The touchdown capped off an 85-yard drive for the Saints, who would march 95 yards for another score on their next possession.
New Orleans put together another lengthy touchdown drive on its first possession of the third quarter, as Brees found Hill again in the flat for a short touchdown pass to finish off a 12-play drive that lasted over six minutes.
With New Orleans leading 24-0, the Bears finally got on the board in the early moments of the fourth quarter, but the Saints wouldn’t allow them another taste of the end zone until the game was out of reach.
Defensively, the Saints feasted on an inept Bears offense, as they relentlessly punished Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler to the tune of seven sacks. New Orleans also recorded three interceptions, two of which were pulled down by rookie safety Pierre Warren.
The game was never in doubt, as the Saints offense rang up 438 yards on Chicago’s uninspired defense.
Continue reading for full report-card grades for New Orleans following its big Monday night win in Chicago.
Quarterback
1 of 10
After an unproductive outing a week ago, Drew Brees was back in Pro Bowl form Monday night.
He finished with 29 completions on 36 attempts and totaled 375 passing yards to go with three touchdowns. He also didn't commit a turnover, which proved to be one of the keys to the victory.
Brees worked from the pocket with outstanding efficiency, as he picked apart the Bears defense with 19 completions that went for first downs. He didn’t go over the top with any deep balls, but he repeatedly torched the defense with pinpoint precision on his intermediate throws.
The Saints looked like a flat-out better football team than Chicago in all phases, but it was the play of Brees that spurred New Orleans to a convincing victory.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
The Saints only rushed for 83 yards, but their 26 rushing attempts helped New Orleans achieve just enough offensive balance to keep the Bears defense honest.
Mark Ingram led the way on the ground for the visitors, as he pounded out 59 yards on 17 carries. He provided the Saints with a respectable inside running game, and his 15-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter helped seal the win.
While Ingram established himself as a force between the tackles, Pierre Thomas did his damage in the passing game.
The Saint running back hauled in five passes for 83 yards, as he gashed the Bears defense for big yards off screen passes. The screen has long been a staple of Payton’s offense in New Orleans, and on Monday night, Thomas demonstrated his profound talent for gaining big yards off it.
New Orleans’ running backs weren’t spectacular against Chicago, but they were effective.
Grade: B+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
After a couple of quiet outings, Jimmy Graham re-emerged as the Saints’ top receiver.
Graham was targeted seven times and pulled down five balls while leading all receivers with 87 yards. He proved to be quite the handful for rookie cornerback Kyle Fuller, who surrendered some key receptions to the big tight end.
Wideout Marques Colston also had a heavy hand in the Saints passing attack, as he finished with five receptions and 65 yards. His short scoring reception just before the half was one of the game’s finer plays, and it moved the Brees-Colston duo into rare company.
The nine-yard touchdown pass was the 67th time the pair has hooked up for a score, which moved Brees and Colston into fifth-place all-time for most touchdown passes by a quarterback-receiver combination.
Kenny Stills continued to establish himself as a key cog in the Saints offense, as he added 67 yards on five catches.
Backup tight end Josh Hill, meanwhile, proved to be quite the efficient target, as both his receptions went for touchdowns.
Nick Toon also got in on the action with four receptions for 43 yards, but he coughed up the football deep in Bears territory on the Saints’ second play from scrimmage.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
With the exception of a few negative plays, the New Orleans offensive line turned in a solid overall performance.
Brees was hit five times and sacked twice by Chicago defenders, as both Ryan Mundy and Willie Young got to him. When the Saints signal-caller was given time in the pocket, however, the Bears defense suffered for it.
The Saints lost starting left tackle Terron Armstead to an injury early on in the game, but his replacement, Bryce Harris, performed respectably in his stead.
Harris lost a couple of battles to Bears pass-rusher Jared Allen, but he held his own for the most part.
On the ground, the Saints averaged 3.2 yards per carry, which sufficed to get the job done against Chicago’s lethargic defense.
Grade B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Saints defensive line performed at a high level for most of the game, and the unit overwhelmed the Bears offensive front on numerous occasions.
John Jenkins turned in his best game as a Saint, as the second-year nose guard finished with seven unassisted tackles and a sack. The 360-pounder maintained control of his gaps on most plays, and he demonstrated marked improvement from his previous starts this season.
Akiem Hicks only had one tackle in the contest, but it was perhaps the most impressive individual play of the night from a Saints defender. The New Orleans end completely dominated Bears center Roberto Garza on a bull rush in the fourth quarter, sacking Cutler in the process.
Defensive end Cam Jordan, meanwhile, had a quiet evening and failed to record any statistics. The Saints could have used a big play from Jordan when the Bears were putting together scoring drives in the final quarter, but the pass-rushing specialist was surprisingly a non-factor.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
New Orleans’ linebacking corps dramatically improved its play from a week ago, and the unit enjoyed a quality outing on Monday night.
The group was spearheaded by inside ‘backer David Hawthorne, who racked up three sacks in the contest. He was utilized on numerous blitzes through the A-gaps, as Rob Ryan repeatedly exploited the middle of the Bears offensive line.
On the outside, Junior Galette led the charge and more than made up for fellow pass-rusher Jordan’s absence from the Saints’ Windy City sackfest. Galette brought down Cutler twice, while rookie Kasim Edebali also got off the ball well in relief action.
Ramon Humber chipped in a six-tackle performance, while Curtis Lofton tallied three stops on what was, for him, a quiet night.
The New Orleans linebackers were highly active, and they consistently came up with big plays against the Bears’ overmatched offense.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Thanks to a subpar performance from Cutler, the Saints secondary wasn’t tested very thoroughly Monday night.
The group did make a significant impact on the game, however, as the Saints defensive backs picked off the Bears quarterback on three occasions.
Rookie safety Pierre Warren was on the receiving end of two Cutler interceptions, while oft-criticized corner Patrick Robinson came up with another on a diving catch.
Strong safety Kenny Vaccaro, meanwhile, didn't start the game, but he came on in relief to deliver some big hits.
Jamarca Sanford got the start instead, although he didn't do anything to prevent Vaccaro from earning his starting job back.
On the outside, Keenan Lewis stepped up to the challenge of following dangerous Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery in shadow coverage. Jeffery broke free of Lewis a couple of times for minimal gains, but the Saints’ top cover man proved he was up to the challenge against one of the game’s more talented wideouts.
Third-year corner Terrence Frederick started opposite Lewis on the outside and had a decent outing, while Marcus Ball came in and contributed at safety.
Rookie Brian Dixon saw significant action late in the contest, but he was beaten by Jeffery on a back-shoulder throw for a meaningless touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Kicker Shayne Graham made all his extra-point attempts and knocked home a 25-yard field goal, but he missed from 51 yards out on New Orleans’ second offensive possession.
Punter Thomas Morstead didn’t have an overly impressive night, but he did land a fourth-quarter punt inside the Chicago 10-yard line.
In the return game, Jalen Saunders totaled 21 yards on three punt returns. The rookie out of Oklahoma didn’t take anyone’s breath away with his performance, but he continues to fill in nicely for the injured Brandin Cooks.
The New Orleans kick coverage team wasn’t at its best Monday, as the unit yielded some big returns to Chicago’s Marc Mariani.
Tight end Benjamin Watson, who also contributed as a blocker on offense, got in on the special teams effort for New Orleans with a recovery of a Bears onside kick attempt late in the fourth quarter.
As a whole, the Saints' special teams units were satisfactory but not outstanding.
Grade: C+
Coaching
9 of 10
Sean Payton and the Saints coaching staff received some heavy criticism following New Orleans’ poor performance last week, and they responded strongly with a solid all-around game.
Defensively, Rob Ryan gave Cutler and the Bears offense trouble with inside blitzes, while he allowed his corners to lock up in man coverage for most of the night. The Saints constantly varied the looks they gave Cutler, which helped to keep the Chicago quarterback from settling into any kind of rhythm.
Offensively, the Saints leaned on their passing attack, but they mixed in a physical running game to help soften up the Bears defense.
As far as effort goes, the Saints couldn’t be questioned on Monday night, as the entire squad appeared to play at a high energy level.
After last week’s horrendous outing, Payton deserves credit for circling the wagons in the week leading up to the game and for raising his team’s overall level of play.
Grade: A
Final Grade
10 of 10
There’s no denying that New Orleans dominated Chicago at Soldier Field on Monday night.
The Saints received stellar play from their quarterback, and their offense settled into a nice rhythm as the game wore on.
New Orleans also delivered a solid defensive performance and kept Cutler on his back throughout the contest.
On the other hand, the Bears’ putrid performance was rife with all the makings of a bad football team.
New Orleans may not have an impressive record, but the Saints were clearly a better all-around team than Chicago. In the end, they did what they were supposed to do, beating a subpar team in convincing fashion.
Final Grade: B+
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