After two home games, the New Orleans Saints hit the road again this Sunday when they take on the Chicago Bears. The Saints stumble in at a 1-5 record, while the Bears sit at 3-2 after two close wins. New Orleans has played their share of close games but have come up on the short end of four one score decisions. Each team comes in relatively healthy on the injury report.
New Orleans continues to be a frustrating team defensively. The Saints rank an almost respectable 18th overall, but continue to struggle in getting off the field on third downs and have infuriating breakdowns in crucial situations. Chicago’s offense has flashed big-play potential and comes in ranked 14th overall and 10th in points scored. Behind second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, the team’s passing game has shown the most impressive improvement so far. This is the spot we focus on here.
Bears Passing Attack
- 227.8 yards per game (11th)
- 61.7% completion percentage
- 9 touchdowns (12th)
- 2 interceptions (10th)
- 10 sacks
Under new head coach Ben Johnson, Williams and the Bears are developing a downfield passing game that takes advantage of the athleticism of their weapons. Williams has shown terrific development from his first to second year. He’s a very good athlete with a cannon arm but still shows questionable decision-making and inconsistent accuracy, especially when under pressure.
Wideout Rome Odunze joined Williams with the Bears as a first round choice in 2024 and has become the team’s featured receiver. Odunze has 22 receptions for 328 yards and 5 touchdowns. He’s a big target with the athleticism to threaten defenses at every level. Cagey veteran D.J. Moore remains highly productive and has 19 catches for 215 yards after leading the Bears in receiving last year. Former Falcon Olamide Zaccheaus and rookie second round pick Luther Burden have a combined 27 receptions and 293 yards, giving the Bears quality depth at wide receiver.
At tight end, 2025 first round pick Colston Loveland joins 2020 Round 2 choice Cole Kmet to give Williams a lethal pair of targets. The two have combined for just 13 catches and 170 yards so far, but each are capable of shredding opposing secondaries. For a New Orleans team that’s had trouble with tight ends, this should be a key matchup. Ben Johnson’s offense uses running backs heavily as receivers, and the Bears have a capable one in D’Andre Swift. The team’s leading rusher, Swift also has 15 catches for 152 yards and a score.
Chicago has a physical offensive line, but one that can struggle in pass protection. This is especially the case on the outside, where tackles Darnell Wright and Theo Benedet have had issues against athletic edge rushers. On the inside, veteran guards Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, and center Drew Dalman are an experienced trio who have set up better interior protection for their young quarterback to have time.
Saints Pass Defense
- 213.3 yards per game (16th)
- 69.5% completion percentage
- 14 touchdowns (28th)
- 3 interceptions (19th)
- 12 sacks
- 29 QB hits
By the overall numbers, New Orleans doesn’t look bad against the pass. That narrative is crushed when you consider that mediocre quarterbacks like Mac Jones and Sam Darnold looked like established All-Pros when they faced the Saints. After looking like they turned the corner with good outings against the Bills and Giants, a young New Orleans secondary regressed badly last week against the Patriots.
Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry leads the team with 4 passes broken up and 2 interceptions, both against the Giants. McKinstry has the abilities of a top-tier corner, but is prone to the lapses and breakdowns you’d expect from a young defensive back. On the other side, rookie Quincy Riley has stood up fairly well to the constant challenge of opposing quarterbacks since replacing an injured and ineffective Isaac Yiadom. Alontae Taylor is a physical and versatile defender, but must eliminate the mental mistakes. Yiadom is set to return from his hamstring injury, but should be nothing more than a fourth corner behind this trio.
Veteran safety Justin Reid is still one of the league’s most underrated at the position, but the defense needs more big plays from him. Rookie third round choice Jonas Sanker, who’s broken up 3 throws and has an interception, had two spectacular weeks after replacing an injured Julian Blackmon, but had some costly breakdowns against New England. Both Reid and Sanker have shown impressive range and instincts on the back end to help the inexperienced corners as the overall chemistry of the unit continues to improve.
At linebacker, Demario Davis remains one of the best in the business. Davis is a disruptive blitzer and has both the instincts and athleticism to be effective in coverage. Pete Werner is a major liability is such areas. However, instead of using more athletic linebackers like rookie Danny Stutsman, Jaylan Ford, or Isaiah Stalbird in passing situations, the Saints have been blitzing Werner more often and dropping Davis into coverage.
The young secondary would be helped more if the Saints could consistently disrupt quarterbacks. New Orleans has gotten nothing from Davon Godchaux or Nathan Shepherd up front, while the rest of the group has gotten nice pressure at times but cannot finish off plays. Bryan Bresee is the most disruptive of the down linemen, but has only 1 sack despite 8 pressures. On the edge, veteran Cameron Jordan has 2.5 sacks while Carl Granderson leads the team with 4.5 sacks and 10 pressures. Chase Young caused some nice disruption against New England in his first game back this season, but this entire group must get quarterbacks to the ground more often or at least force more off-target passes.
Such is the issue for the Saints in this game. The secondary matches up well athletically against a deep crew of Chicago receivers, but must eliminate the roller coaster ups and downs. Helping their young defensive backs with consistent pressure is imperative. If the Saints don’t sack Williams and pressure him into mistakes, they likely go down to a sixth loss.
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