Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints Week 2 Preview: Future Playoff Matchup?

The New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears Week 2 matchup could very well be a preview for a playoff game come January.  They both made the playoffs in 2010 and are favorites to make it again this year.

I find it somewhat surprising that this game didn't get scheduled in one of the primetime slots.

The Saints boast one of the league's best offenses and the Bears have one of the best defenses.  This could be a case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object.

The Saints are coming off of a heart-breaking loss in a phenomenal Week 1 game against the Packers.  The Bears are fresh off of a dominating performance over last year's No. 1 playoff seed Atlanta Falcons.

Which team will prevail this week?  Let's take a closer look.

Bears Offense

The Bears had the 30th ranked offense in 2010 yet still won their division and secured the second seed in the playoffs.  But now they are in year two with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's scheme.

Will they improve?  Well, they almost have no place to go but up.

In Week 1 versus a decent Atlanta defense, the Bears managed to put up 377 net yards of offense.  Jay Cutler threw for 312 yards and two TDs.  Matt Forte rushed for 68 yards on 16 carries and caught five passes for 90 yards and a TD.

The Bears' offense goes as these two players go.

Chicago's wide receiver corps features speedsters Devin Hester and Johnny Knox, possession receiver Earl Bennett, and the always disappointing Roy Williams.

Knox is probably the best of the bunch but that is like saying he is the tallest smurf.  Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't think this group is good, it's just that nobody really stands out. 

Jay Cutler has been steady, if unspectacular, at QB since he arrived in Chicago.  Since he's been in the league, his personality has come under question a few times.

He was accused of being "soft" after he took himself out of the NFC Championship game last season due to what some NFL players felt was a minor injury that he could have played through.

Especially in that situation.

The main weakness of the Bears offense is their offensive line.  The struggle to open holes for Matt Forte and often allow Cutler to take multiple sacks.

If they can't get that aspect straightened out, there won't be much overall improvement to their ranking of 30th last season.

Saints Offense

In stark contrast to the Bears' offense, the Saints had the NFL's sixth-ranked offense in 2010.  In Week 1 of 2011 they just seemed to pick up right where they left off.

Against the Packers, the Saints offense racked up 500 yards of offense.  Drew Brees passed for 419 yards and three TDs.  And this was without WR Lance Moore!

Unfortunately for the Saints, they've now also lost WR Marques Colston for a while with a broken clavicle. 

Though Colston is a force for their offense, it always seems that the next guy just steps in and performs just as well.  The Saints offense rarely skips a beat.

The Saints also seemed to have made another upgrade in the scoring department by signing the small but explosive Darren Sproles.  He accounted for 250 total yards against Green Bay and scored on a 92-yard punt return.

His presence will be significant for an already potent offense.

At running back the Saints feature promising rookie Mark Ingram and veteran Pierre Thomas.  It seems that both players can get the job done and give the Saints good balance on offense.

Clearly, the Saints have a huge edge over the Bears in the offensive category.

Bears Defense

The Bears were ranked ninth in total defense in 2010 but were fourth overall in total points allowed.  They're led by the ageless Brian Urlacher at middle linebacker and sack-meister Julius Peppers at defensive end.

It looks like they kept the trend going in Week 1 against an Atlanta Falcons offense that has some pretty good skill players. 

They allowed the Falcons to roll up 419 yards of offense but held them to just two field goals.  They also sacked Matt Ryan five times, one of which caused a fumble that was scooped up by Urlacher and returned for a score.

Chicago is a team that has been known for great defense throughout the franchise's history. Dick Butkus, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, Gary Fencik, Wilbur Marshall, the list goes on and on.  And who could forget the great 1985 defense that did the Super Bowl shuffle?

The Bears' current defense isn't quite as good as some units of their past but they're a top 10 defense in this league right now.

Saints Defense

Surprisingly, the Saints actually had the No. 4 ranked defense in the NFL last season and were seventh overall in total points allowed.  Bringing in defensive coordinator Greg Williams has paid dividends for the team.

It's a little hard to get a good read on the Saints defense at this point.  They've only played one game so far and it happened to be against an extremely talented Packers offense.  Green Bay can make many defenses look questionable.

One area they need to improve upon is in the turnover department.  Last season they ranked in the lower half of the league with only 25 take-aways.  Usually this goes hand-in-hand with the highly ranked defensive teams.

The Saints also sacked Aaron Rodgers only two times, which was just about their average per game last season (33 sacks in 2010).  This is another area they could improve as well.

The Saints defense gets the job done for the most part with mainly "no-name" players.  The biggest name they have would probably be Jonathan Vilma.

But they get solid play from guys like Roman Harper, Malcom Jenkins and Sedrick Ellis to go along with Vilma.

Overall, I'm still not sold on this unit though.  They're merely average at this point.  They can be good enough to not be a hindrance to the team but I'd like to see more from them.

Special Teams

This is one area where the Saints have vastly improved themselves with the addition of Darren Sproles.  He has already earned his money by scoring a TD on a 72-yard punt return.  He also had a nice average of 38 yards on two kickoff returns.

The Bears still have the always dangerous Devin Hester returning punts and kicks.  He returned three punts for a TD last season and will be looking to upstage Darren Sproles this week.

Both teams have a game breaker in this area.

The Pick

The Saints are playing in their home-opener this week and coming off a tough loss.  The Bears are playing on the road in a loud domed stadium and coming off of a big win. 

The Saints will be more fired up and motivated to win this game.  And win they will.  Plus, New Orleans is simply the more talented team.

Saints 31, Bears 17