Canal Street Chronicles
New Orleans makes a trip to the Windy City to visit the Bears in Week 7.
The New Orleans Saints will make a trip to the Windy City in week 7 for one of their more interesting matchups this season vs the Chicago Bears.
There are a lot of storylines surrounding this game. Kellen Moore vs Ben Johnson in their first years as head coaches. Dennis Allen coaching against his former team. Caleb Williams vs Tyler Shough. Even though the Saints aren’t expected to be amazing this year, this could be quite an interesting matchup.
Offensively, the Bears hope they can take a big step forward. Despite taking Caleb Williams, a “once in a generation” talent some might say, with the first overall pick, they finished 28th in points per game, averaging a bit over 18 points in 2024. However, they’ve hired Ben Johnson, drafted Luther Burden and Colston Loveland, and added some nice pieces on their offensive line through free agency. The expectation is that this will be at least a top-15 offense, if not top-10 with Johnson running the show.
We know Ben Johnson likes to pound the rock from his days with the Lions, but I was a bit surprised they didn’t draft a running back before round seven, especially because they didn’t address that in free agency. Don’t get me wrong, there are worse backfields than D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, but I thought Ben Johnson would’ve gone out and got his guy at the running back position.
So, despite the run heavy offense he ran in Detroit, I think this year’s Bears team will throw the ball more often. They have Caleb Williams, who undoubtedly has the tools, he just needs to develop a bit more, and some great wideouts such as DJ Moore, Luther Burden and Rome Odunze. Add Colston Loveland to the mix and that passing attack can get really scary.
Defensively, the Bears were actually pretty solid. They ranked 14th in points per game allowed, giving up about 21 per contest and have some good pieces on that side of the ball. They added former Saints Head Coach, Dennis Allen, as their defensive coordinator, which I think will elevate them to a new level. Don’t get me wrong, Allen was a bad head coach, but I still think he’s one of the best defensive minds in the league.
Upfront, the Bears have some nice pieces. Montez Sweat highlights the group, but Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter and Shemar Turner are all really solid pieces as well. Same goes for their linebacking core. It may not have a Demario Davis or a Fred Warner, but TJ Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds and Noah Sewell is a nice rotation.
Where this defense really gets interesting is in the secondary. At corner, Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon create a really promising unit, and we know Dennis Allen’s track record in terms of developing cornerback talent. He’s very good at putting his corners in positions to succeed,...
