New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears: Week 8 Game Prediction
The New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears game on Sunday looks like a potential barnburner on paper. A 4-2 team against a 5-2 team with potential playoff implications? Good stuff. Yet it just doesn’t feel that well. These feel like two teams going in opposite directions. One that is finding its footing after a rocky start and another that is may finally be running out of the good luck that has carried them this far.
It genuinely feels like this might be a make-or-break game for the Bears. That sounds silly but one look at their schedule going into November doesn’t bring a lot of comfort. One bad loss can easily turn into a string of them. This organization should know that well. It happened in 2011. It happened in 2012 and it happened last year too.
Can they regain their footing with a big win over the always tough Saints? Let’s take a look at the matchup.
New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears game breakdown
Storylines:
A rocky QB-coach relationship? – For a 5-2 team, the Bears seem to be surrounded by loads of negativity. Not to mention drama. The latest came during the Rams loss when it was revealed Nick Foles had misgivings about Matt Nagy’s play calling. Foles later said it was a miscommunication and talked to his head coach personally to clear the air. That could be a misunderstanding, or it could be a lot more.
Revenge or repeat – Most Bears players have bad memories of what happened the last time New Orleans came to Soldier Field. Despite no Drew Brees and no Alvin Kamara, the Saints still hung 36 points on them. The matchup looks even less favorable now with Brees and Kamara both healthy. Not to mention the likely return of Michael Thomas. It’s hard not to feel like this game could get even uglier than last year.
Injuries:
Cody Whitehair (calf) – The Bears offensive line was already a mess going into the Rams game. Now things could get even worse. Their starting center Whitehair left the game early with a calf injury. While not considered a long-term issue, the belief is he will likely miss the game on Sunday. This puts former undrafted free agent Sam Mustipher in that spot.
Emmanuel Sanders (COVID) – While the Saints offense will have most of its primary firepower, they will be missing one of their secondary options. Sanders had his best game in black and gold with 122 yards against the Chargers two weeks ago. However, a COVID-19 diagnosis has put him on the shelf until further notice.
Akiem Hicks is using offensive linemen to make tackles for him now
@The_Dream99 @ChicagoBears
(h/t @BrandonThornNFL) pic.twitter.com/cb7ycvsQa8
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 23, 2020
Key matchups:
Nick Easton vs. Akiem Hicks – One benefit the Saints had last year was not having to worry about Hicks who was nursing an elbow injury. That allowed them to focus on stopping Khalil Mack. This time around will prove far more difficult. Hicks is back to his old form chewing up guards almost at will. Easton is returning from a concussion too.
Jimmy Graham vs. Demario Davis – The Saints defense has proven vulnerable against tight ends most of the year. Especially in the red zone. That is where Graham has made his money this year with four touchdowns. Davis has allowed a 129.7 passer rating in coverage. A smart team (gulp) would look to get the veteran tight end into that matchup.
X-factors:
Darnell Mooney – New Orleans is having problems in their secondary. Especially against the deep ball. Carolina gashed them a number of times down the field last week with D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. Their safeties are proving liabilities in coverage. Mooney has been close on several deep throws the past couple of weeks. It feels like just a matter of time before he finally hits one.
Alvin Kamara – The Bears run defense has been a problem all year but it hit crisis mode in L.A., allowing 160 yards on the ground to a Rams team that has no star running back. So one can imagine how nerve-racking it is to know Kamara is coming to town. He’s currently averaging 4.9 yards per carry. His highest mark in three seasons.
Prediction: Saints win 31-17
This just feels like a bad matchup. New Orleans is strong offensively and have a decent enough defense. The Bears have a good defense and one of the worst offenses in the league. Not only that but the Saints are well-equipped to attack the Bears’ biggest weakness defensively. Unless the offense somehow finds a spark, this game feels like it will play out much the same as the previous one did.