Bears vs. Saints: 7 Chicago Players Facing the Most Pressure To Perform

The Chicago Bears face their second of three big tests to open the season when they travel to New Orleans to face the Saints on Sunday.

This game, predictably, will feature a top offense vs. a top defense as Urlacher and the immovable Bears try and stop Drew Brees and the unstoppable Saints.  

In recent years, Chicago has had New Orleans' number; Drew Brees is yet to record a victory over the Bears in matchups that have traditionally pitted two teams that are exceptional on one side of the ball and mediocre at best on the other side of the ball against each other.

But this year could change that. The Bears offense, now in its second year under Mike Martz's high-flying system, showed against the Falcons that they can put points on the board and lead the team to a win rather than being dragged into one by the defense and the special teams unit.

The Bears will need certain players to step up and lead the way if they are to top the Saints and move to a 2-0 record.

So, let's take a look at seven Chicago players facing the most pressure to perform in Sunday's contest.

Roy Williams

Roy Williams opened up in his debut with Chicago and put up some nice numbers before exiting the Falcons-Bears contest with a groin injury.

His availability for Sunday's game is uncertain, but Chicago needs Williams in this contest.  

If the game becomes a shootout, Jay Cutler will need as many weapons on the field as possible to try and keep pace with the high-octane Saints.

Williams being on the field not only provides Cutler with a large target that will reliably be where he is supposed to be, but also opens up opportunities for fellow receivers Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox. If Williams misses Sunday's contest, that coverage will slide down and each of these young receivers will face stiffer competition for the ball.

Henry Melton

Tommie Harris said, after his exit, that Henry Melton brought Hall of Famer John Randle to mind. Last week, Melton brought a young Tommie Harris to mind, in my opinion.

He made life miserable for the Falcons' interior line and created opportunities for his fellow linemen by collapsing the pocket. He picked up two sacks of his own—to boot.

The Bears defense needs for Melton to continue down that path and prove that his performance against the Falcons was no fluke.

The Saints offensive line allowed three sacks last week to the Packers and let the Pack into the backfield with regularity.  

Former Bears center Olin Kreutz is captaining the Saints line and his best days are behind him. Melton must use his speed and strength to beat out Kreutz and his fellow interior linemen and create havoc in the backfield.

If Brees is given time to pick apart the Bears secondary, Sunday will not be a good day for Chicago. 

Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler stepped into the 2011 regular season and showed the league that he can overcome adversity and perform at an elite level.

Now he must show the league he can do it on more than just sporadic occasions.

Against the Falcons, Cutler put up over 300 yards passing and threw two touchdowns en route to a 107.8 quarterback rating and a 30-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons—and he did so with the Falcons spending plenty of time in his pocket.

The Saints defense could be described as porous and Cutler should have plenty of opportunities to make plays, but he has to be patient and rein in his confidence just a bit. 

Check that ball down when the receiver you want is covered. Throw the ball into the cheap seats when you're outside the pocket and being pursued with no viable options.

Jay has a ton of ability and his biggest flaw seems to be his belief that he can make things happen in any situation. Cutler needs to learn to live and fight another play and, in doing so, limit negative plays.

While it might be nitpicking a very good performance, Cutler took two sacks because he held the ball too long trying to make something happen. He took another by sliding at the last second outside the pocket rather than throwing the ball away. Additionally, he tossed an interception that became the Falcons' only touchdown when he tried to get the ball away with a defender directly in his face to bat the ball.

In a game that could very well become a shootout, those few plays could be the difference between a win and a loss.

Roberto Garza, Chris Spencer and Chris Williams

The Bears' interior line did a much better job against the Falcons than expected from such an inexperienced unit.  

Chris Williams has really come along in the left guard spot and Roberto Garza led the unit well. And Chris Spencer filled in admirably when Lance Louis exited the game due to injury.

The Bears need a repeat of that performance against the Saints' defensive tackles Shaun Rogers and Sedrick Ellis.

If Garza and company can contain Rogers and Ellis without help and not allow them to collapse the pocket, Jay Cutler will have all the time he needs to pick apart the Saints secondary and it will free up Matt Forte and Tyler Clutts to help block outside rushers and blitzing linebackers.

If Cutler gets flushed out of the pocket regularly, he will make mistakes and the Bears could have a hard time keeping up with the Saints. So, the Bears need their center and guards to repeat last week's performance and give Jay the chance to succeed.

Major Wright

When the Bears let safety Danieal Manning walk away in free agency, it was with the confidence that Major Wright would be able to step up to the next level. 

So far, it hasn't appeared that Wright was up to the task.  

It's early, and judging a young player on the preseason and one regular season game can be a little unfair. But this isn't pee-wee football. These men are paid an exorbitant amount of money to perform and Wright is not playing for a defense that has previously shown much patience in waiting for defensive backs to develop.

Further complicating the issue for Wright is that he has two-time Pro-Bowler Brandon Meriweather waiting in the wings, ready to swoop in and take his starting spot.

This could very well be the week that it happens.

The Bears will face one of the league's elite passing attacks—and make no bones about it, Drew Brees will be looking Wright's way a lot. The young safety will have his hands full. 

He'll also be required to help contain rookie rusher Mark Ingram, veteran running back Pierre Thomas and scat-back Darren Sproles. Major has had a rough time so far this year in run defense, taking poor angles and making uncharacteristically poor tackles.  

That is a cardinal sin for safeties in Chicago and if Wright doesn't prove to be more sure-handed attacking the run, he could find himself spending far more time on the pine. Meriweather isn't exactly fierce in run defense either, but if neither is going to provide an advantage against the run, the Bears will have to field their best coverage safety to limit the damage—and that would be Meriweather.

If the Saints are able to get their anemic running game going against the Bears, it will be a long day for Chicago and likely a short day for Wright. 

And now it's your turn, ladies and gentlemen! Step up to the soapbox below—better known as the comment thread—and let us know what you think. Sound off!