Windy City Gridiron
The Saints didn’t quite come marching into Soldier Field on Sunday, and the Bears sent them home. A four-game winning streak puts the Bears at 4-2 with some tough games ahead.
A few storylines ran through the week leading up to the game. The Saints starting quarterback, Spencer Rattler, lost his starting job at Oklahoma in 2021 to a young Caleb Williams. Rattler would transfer to South Carolina and end up being drafted by the Saints in the 5th round in 2024. Williams would follow head coach Lincoln Riley to USC, win a Heisman, and be drafted by the Bears #1 overall in 2024.
The Bears defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, coached the New Orleans defense both in the late 2000s (assistant) and again in the late 2010s (defensive coordinator), before being promoted to head coach in 2022. As head coach, his team was known for tough defense and a strong running game, something the Bears have been plenty familiar with in their history. Allen was fired mid-way through last season, and he came to Chicago to be the new defensive coordinator under coach Ben Johnson. Would Allen still know what the Saints want to run in this game?
As the Bears hosted the Saints in an October matchup on the lake front, here’s a run down of each quarter, and which team won it:
The Bears won the coin toss and chose to receive the football. They went three-and-out, after Chase Young tipped and very nearly intercepted a screen pass intended for DJ Moore, and the Bears then couldn’t convert after a false start on Theo Benedet made it third and long.
Bears got the ball right back, though after Montez Sweat stripped the ball from Spencer Rattler’s hand and Gervon Dexter recovered. Starting deep in Saints’ territory, the Bears had a pair of good runs by Kyle Monangai, but also a pair of bad snaps that de-railed the drive and led to a Jake Moody 27 yard field goal. 3-0 Bears.
Soldier Field got loud on the ensuing New Orleans drive, where the Saints went three-and-out. Caleb Williams connected with Cole Kmet and D’Andre Swift on nice passes, but the latter was called back for offensive pass interference. Chase Young then got in the way of a backfield pass again, and on 3rd and very long, Caleb Williams threw an ill-advised pass and was picked off by Quincy Riley of the Saints.
The Saints moved the chains for the first time of the day on their next drive, which started around midfield, but the Bears defense was able to force a 53-yard field goal, which sailed wide right. With the Bears back on offense starting at their own 43 yard line, Williams connected with Rome Odunze for a couple of first down passes, both of which had the young receiver making nice moves after the catch.
At the end of the first quarter, the Bears were driving down the field, but only holding a 3...
