Wk 7 // CHICAGO BEARS vs NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

[Bearfanuk]

While it may seems a million miles away bears are only two games away from being better then the packers. A defeat Sunday doesn’t say the sky is falling. The same way a win doesn’t say play offs

Next 4 games ..give me 3 wins and we are in the mix

Saints
Chargers
Eagles
Lions

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

While it may seems a million miles away bears are only two games away from being better then the packers. A defeat Sunday doesn’t say the sky is falling. The same way a win doesn’t say play offs

Next 4 games ..give me 3 wins and we are in the mix

Saints
Chargers
Eagles
Lions

Yeah. At the beginning of the season, I would have thought the Saints, Chargers and Eagles would have been probable losses. Now the script is flipped. I'm more nervous of the Lions than I am of the Saints or Chargers.

[Richie]

While it may seems a million miles away bears are only two games away from being better then the packers. A defeat Sunday doesn’t say the sky is falling. The same way a win doesn’t say play offs

Next 4 games ..give me 3 wins and we are in the mix

Saints
Chargers
Eagles
Lions

Well, the fact that it should be a half game... is what sort of pisses me off today. lol

Yeah, Green Bay doesn't look a million miles better than us. Not sure how anyone who watched last night's game could say that. Detroit looks good, but they've fooled me many times early in the season.

[Otis Day]

NO one is really that good this year. No disrespect to the 9ers, but I would say the Pats are the cream of the crop and they got problems. The Bears, while not bad, don't come across as serious contenders. With HIcks going down, the D weakens. The Bears IMO are just a huge ? mark. Until the offense shows he can play with the big boys, Bears are just average.

[Richie]

NO one is really that good this year. No disrespect to the 9ers, but I would say the Pats are the cream of the crop and they got problems. The Bears, while not bad, don't come across as serious contenders. With HIcks going down, the D weakens. The Bears IMO are just a huge ? mark. Until the offense shows he can play with the big boys, Bears are just average.

I don't know. I think they're certainly above average. The defense is far too dominant of a unit (one outlying game vs OAK excluded) and will keep them in every single game. That's enough right there to be above average.

Especially with Nichols coming back. We saw vs Minnesota that we can easily survive without Hicks. RRH, Goldman and Nichols is still a really good front.

[G08]

I really have no idea what to expect this Sunday. Is Trubisky going to play, and play well? How will our run game be against that solid Saints defense? Is Bridgwater going to play well? Is Kamara going to play?

Zero pulse on this game for me.

[The Marshall Plan]

I really have no idea what to expect this Sunday. Is Trubisky going to play, and play well? How will our run game be against that solid Saints defense? Is Bridgwater going to play well? Is Kamara going to play?

Zero pulse on this game for me.

I like the idea of Truth (I’m not calling him Biscuit anymore) coming out and kicking some ass. This season needs some life to it. Too many negative vibes and drama.

The Saints have their backup in and yeah he’s doing good but he’s still Teddy Bridgewater and the game is at Soldier’s Field.

[mmmc_35]

Biscuits bears 17
Saints 20

[G08]

I really have no idea what to expect this Sunday. Is Trubisky going to play, and play well? How will our run game be against that solid Saints defense? Is Bridgwater going to play well? Is Kamara going to play?

Zero pulse on this game for me.

I like the idea of Truth (I’m not calling him Biscuit anymore) coming out and kicking some ass. This season needs some life to it. Too many negative vibes and drama.

The Saints have their backup in and yeah he’s doing good but he’s still Teddy Bridgewater and the game is at Soldier’s Field.

Wouldn't that be something...

[Funkster]

I’ve thought about this for awhile, we all know that the bears defense is legit, but that will only take the team so far. For me, the teams success will live and die with Trubisky. I’m not sure what he’s being told but from an outsider looking in, it appears he’s lost all of his confidence and swagger. What made him a top choice for Pace was his ability to move, throw, be accurate and lead. Nagy’s mantra is “be you” I feel like he’s not being allowed to be him and it’s confusion him mentally. I’d like to see Trubisky come out and be him, a decisive gunslinger. See it, send it! Who cares if you throw an interception a game if you lead the offense to 24 plus points and the bears top defense will get you the ball back.

[G08]

@Funkster I'm inclined to agree. He's trying to be perfect in everything that he does, and that's just unrealistic right now. He looks robotic more than he does like an elitely talented QB. It was the biggest thing I took away from watching his college games again. That dude trusted what he saw and ripped it. He was giving his receivers chances down the field to make plays in windows that were smaller than what he's seeing now in the NFL (and consequently not throwing the ball).

I still have hope for the kid.

[Funkster]

@G08, I agree, his college tape showed a lot of good things. I believe one of the more important aspect of his game was he oozed with confidence, I feel his lack of confidence now is impairing the other aspect of his game. He seems to not respond to media criticism well and that’s probably why he chooses to stay off social media platforms. This could be a character flaw? Some players use it as fuel to start the fire and some get burnt by the flames. If the kid can string together 2 solid games, I can see him getting his confidence back and be the QB the bears need him to be.

[Boris13c]

Teddy Bridgewater has filled in capably for the injured Drew Brees, but he does not pose the deep strike capability Brees always had. So that makes facing the Saints a bit more manageable. The Bears have had a pretty crappy history of coming out of their bye week and stinking up the joint. If they don't have their heads on straight, the Saints will handle them easily.

We still don't know who the Bears starting QB will be. Trubisky hasn't been officially ruled out as of yet. So maybe he'll get to apply his bye week extra study time?

I'll choose the Bears in a nail biter.

Bears 24
Saints 22

[G08]

@G08, I agree, his college tape showed a lot of good things. I believe one of the more important aspect of his game was he oozed with confidence, I feel his lack of confidence now is impairing the other aspect of his game. He seems to not respond to media criticism well and that’s probably why he chooses to stay off social media platforms. This could be a character flaw? Some players use it as fuel to start the fire and some get burnt by the flames. If the kid can string together 2 solid games, I can see him getting his confidence back and be the QB the bears need him to be.

I just think QB development isn't linear, and the fans that are pointing at Mahomes and Watson as examples why Trubisky is a failure, to me, is foolhardy. It reeks of impatience, which I suppose makes sense in today's day and age. There are more than enough examples of QBs who took time to find success in this offense. Hell, Alex Smith was in his 5th year in this offense (13th year in the league!) before he started lighting it up.

People just don't have patience anymore. Even on the flip-side, how is Jared Goff looking these days? Wasn't he the next best thing in the league before Fangio literally broke him?

[Funkster]

Agreed, for instance here is Russell Wilson’s rookie year compared to Trubisky 2nd year, which I consider his rookie year. The kid has a lot to learn but this shows there is hope for the future.

Trubisky
YDS 3,223
TD 24
INT 12
PCT 66.6
20+ 40
40+ 10
QBR 71

Wilson
YDS 3,111
TD 26
INT 10
PCT 64.1
20+ 42
40+ 11
QBR 74.8

[AZ_Bearfan]

https://www.chicagobears.com/news/healt ... -cut-loose

I hope there's something to this. I'm just waiting for him to break out.

[RenoSaint]

I'm actually pretty confident in a win here. New Orleans has strolled cozily through a bad schedule (notably teams with struggling offense) doing very little offensively themselves and catching some really nice breaks. The one game where they did play a good team with a good offense (Seattle) they scored two TD's on SPT's and defense. In

Teddy has been sort of riding the coat tails of the team and it's doomed to fall short at some point. They're living very, very dangerously in these low scoring games. They scored 9, 12 and 13 in three of Teddy's games that came against competent defense. 20 offensively vs Seattle (it's not 2014 anymore... that D is bottom 10 in most categories) and then the one outlier scoring 31 vs a bad TB defense.

They're really going to struggle to get much of anything going, IMO.

Bears also come out looking a little more fresh offensively.

Bears 24
Saints 17

I’m not here to talk trash since I expect this to be a hard fought game.

You might want to reconsider your comment about a soft schedule. No team has played a tougher schedule than the saints. Also where are these struggling offense that we have supposedly played. We have faced 3 top 10 offenses and all six of our opponents are in the top 16 in the league. The saints have faced Watson Goff when they were healthy and Brees got hurt, Wilson, Dak, TB immediately after they put a 50 burger on the rams and Jax who actually has a better offense than defense.

Good luck on Sunday

[DaSuperfan]

I'm in agreement that Mitch is his own worst enemy. There's no other explanation for his performance this season, because he showed his potential much more last year than he has this year. After the GB home opener, I think he had such high expectations for himself and to play the way he did - lose the game, it was a huge blow to his confidence. Then he sees his HC sort of take the reigns back and made him a game manager against the Broncos. He's probably telling himself, "My HC doesn't even believe in me right now" - but slowly in the Washington game he started to get into a rhythm. Had a great 2nd quarter - throws 3 TD's. Has a blemish with the goaline INT - but coming out the game overall, he had a glimmer of hope.

We'll see if he can pick up where he left off before he got hurt against the Vikings. I'm quite frankly not that optimistic he's going to turn it around. I've been proven wrong before so I hope he does. I still love the kid and want him to do well, but he's got to start believing in himself and in the offense. Don't be afraid and just let it rip, man. Whatever happens, happens. I'd love to see 2nd half of Eagles playoff game Mitch on a more consistent basis - hope that dude comes out to play against the Saints for a full game.

Saints have been extremely tough on the road, their defense has been playing lights out. It's probably going to be an ugly game on both sides for the offenses. The edge goes to the offense that's playing better right now and that's the Saints.

I'll go with:

Saints 16
Bears 10

[Mikefive]

Our offense is going to have a rough time against the Saints D. But Bridgewater is not going to have a fun day either. The last 4 weeks, the Saints have played 2 home and 2 road games and managed to squeak out 6 point or less wins in every one. I say that trend continues as both defenses and turnovers play a major role in the scoring.

Saints 19
Bears 17

When's the last time the Bears won a game after the bye week?

[BR0D1E86]

It appears as though Trubisky and Bilal Nichols are both going to play.

Kamara looks a lot less likely to play.

[WagonForce]

While this should be a close game, for some reason I feel like the difference in score will be big, I'm just not sure for who.

Bears 31
Saints 17

Bears keep everyone confused with a strong game in all three phases. Saints regress with Kamara either playing hurt or kept out with injury. The offensive line looks a lot better with Long on IR (sadly) and puts together an average performance. The defense comes out angry but focused after being manhandled at the point of attack all game in London.

Bears score two rushing TDs, a passing TD and the defense takes a turnover in for a score. Tack on one FG from Eddy to get to 31.

[UOK]

[AZ_Bearfan]

Hooray! Almost makes up for the Queens and Pack getting the Chiefs while Mahomes rehabs his knee, just to get back to flinging TD's right before we meet up in week 16.

[UOK]

[G08]

[Richie]

I'm actually pretty confident in a win here. New Orleans has strolled cozily through a bad schedule (notably teams with struggling offense) doing very little offensively themselves and catching some really nice breaks. The one game where they did play a good team with a good offense (Seattle) they scored two TD's on SPT's and defense. In

Teddy has been sort of riding the coat tails of the team and it's doomed to fall short at some point. They're living very, very dangerously in these low scoring games. They scored 9, 12 and 13 in three of Teddy's games that came against competent defense. 20 offensively vs Seattle (it's not 2014 anymore... that D is bottom 10 in most categories) and then the one outlier scoring 31 vs a bad TB defense.

They're really going to struggle to get much of anything going, IMO.

Bears also come out looking a little more fresh offensively.

Bears 24
Saints 17

I’m not here to talk trash since I expect this to be a hard fought game.

You might want to reconsider your comment about a soft schedule. No team has played a tougher schedule than the saints. Also where are these struggling offense that we have supposedly played. We have faced 3 top 10 offenses and all six of our opponents are in the top 16 in the league. The saints have faced Watson Goff when they were healthy and Brees got hurt, Wilson, Dak, TB immediately after they put a 50 burger on the rams and Jax who actually has a better offense than defense.

Good luck on Sunday

I am talking about the games New Orleans has played with Teddy starting. Seattle was the only team over .500. That's a solid football team. Then, it's been Dallas, TB and Jacksonville. Jacksonville and Dallas have been pitiful offensively recently.

Teddy has played fine. However, a lot of his success has been overblown. Outside of the TB game he really hasn't led that offense to any type of production and they've managed to scrape by barely in low scoring games. Against Seattle the offense was spotted a TD on both defense and SPT's.

NO's defense has gotten going a bit and Teddy isn't going to necessarily "lose" you a game. That's why they have been winning.

FWIW, with a healthy team. I think you guys are probably the front runners in the NFC. However, this current team? Led by Bridgewater? I think it's being held together by a very fine thread. They've been winning, but I don't know how much longer it can go on.

[Richie]

Our offense is going to have a rough time against the Saints D. But Bridgewater is not going to have a fun day either. The last 4 weeks, the Saints have played 2 home and 2 road games and managed to squeak out 6 point or less wins in every one. I say that trend continues as both defenses and turnovers play a major role in the scoring.

Saints 19
Bears 17

When's the last time the Bears won a game after the bye week?

In 2013 on MNF in Lambeau.

Rodgers broke his collar bone first drive of the game. Josh McCown beat Seneca Wallace 27-20.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Well. With both Brees and Kamara out. If we were ever going to beat the Saints, this is going to be our best shot.

[G08]

Well. With both Brees and Kamara out. If we were ever going to beat the Saints, this is going to be our best shot.

Which is what scares me.

That Saints defense is no joke and I think our tackles are in for a long day.

Remember 'my guy' Marcus Davenport? Leads the league in pressures per snap. This game might be a slugfest in the trenches, and I pray that we find our run game with Coward (or whomever) in at RG.

Bears 17
Saints 14

[The Marshall Plan]

Our offense is going to have a rough time against the Saints D. But Bridgewater is not going to have a fun day either. The last 4 weeks, the Saints have played 2 home and 2 road games and managed to squeak out 6 point or less wins in every one. I say that trend continues as both defenses and turnovers play a major role in the scoring.

Saints 19
Bears 17

When's the last time the Bears won a game after the bye week?

In 2013 on MNF in Lambeau.

Rodgers broke his collar bone first drive of the game. Josh McCown beat Seneca Wallace 27-20.

Thanks for mentioning that game. I watched it on Game Pass this morning. Good memories.