Bears vs Saints: 5 Second-Half Adjustments the Bears Must Make

The Bears started off on the right foot, gaining an early lead over the Saints. But much of it had to do with penalties. Two major penalties against the Saints certainly helped the Bears take the early lead.

The Bears' touchdown came on an eight yard pass from Jay Cutler to undrafted rookie wideout Dane Sanzenbacher, culminating an 11-play, 87 yard drive.

While Saints fans may feel like they got the early shaft, their team eventually started to creep back, scoring their first points on a 31-yard field goal.

That's the way the first quarter ended: Bears 7, Saints 3.

In the second quarter, the Saints didn't waste any time taking the lead, hitting on a 79-yard pass play from Drew Brees. This gave the Saints their first lead of the 2011 season.

Look, the game will change in the second half, so ithe Bears have got to not panic and make some adjustments as they trail heading into the second half. 

Let's look at five adjustments the Bears need to make to win this game.

Pass Protection for Jay Cutler

Cutler was knocked down three times before the fourth one almost knocked him out of the game.

J'Marcus Webb has got to protect the blind side better. The remedy might be quick dump passes form Cutler to Forte coming out of the backfield.

Or, if Webb continues to get dominated, they should try someone else. But no matter what they do, they need to keep the pressure off of Cutler if they are going to win this game.

Pressure Drew Brees

When Israel Idonije sacked Brees early int he second quarter, it was the first sack of the game, but it was followed by a 70 yard touchdown strike, so it obviously didn't affect the Saints.

But last week, they got good pressure on Matt Ryan with just their front four. This week, that won't work, so they need to stunt more and come up with different looks that confuse the Saints offense.

In short, if Brees is untouched and unhurried, he will kill the Bears. They need to rush the passer in the second half to help a weak secondary from getting exposed.

Eat Up the Clock by Running the Ball More

Don't get me wrong—the Bears had a decent mix of pass and run in the first half. But I'm afraid that the Bears, once behind, will try to open it up in the second half out of desperation.

That would be trouble unless the blocking is better. The Saints secondary is playing better than they did against the Packers last week, and keeping the ball out of Brees' hands is critical.

The Bears need to end up with as many rushes as passes. So far, there have been more passes,.and Forte needs more carries in the second half than he had in the first half.  

Bears Secondary Has to Play Better

Major Wright got burned on a 79-yard pass from Brees to Devery Henderson early in the second quarter. The play occurred right after a sack by Idonije—so much for momentum.

Lance Briggs cannot be the only guy out there in coverage against speedy receivers. The 31-yard completion late in the half was as much the system's fault as it was Brandon Merriweather's.

If the secondary cannot cover these guys on deep balls, they need more help. The cover-2 needs to be used a bit less and they need to get more help over the top against a stud like Brees.

Play Smarter

The Bears have to keep their composure in the second half to win this game.

While the Saints committed some penalties in the first quarter that led to the Bears' early lead, the Bears made a couple gaffes of their own.

Devin Hester put the ball on the carpet on a return attempt in the first quarter, but it was recovered quickly and no damage was done. The next time, the Bears may not be so lucky.

Sam Hurd hit Darren Sproles too early on a punt in the second quarter, giving the Saints an extra 15 yards and the ball at the 47 yard line.

Cutler was short of the line of scrimmage when he got flagged for throwing the ball away in the first quarter. Cutler needs to be cognizant of where he is on the field at all times.

Mental mistakes, and mistakes of concentration, are not acceptable when playing a good team like the Saints. Players are going to make some bad plays at times, but the Bears simply can't beat themselves.