Behind Enemy Lines: Bears vs. Saints on Monday Night
So what are the local bloggers and media saying in the Big Easy…..?
On our sister Fansided site, Who Dat Dish, writer Barry Hirstius points out that both of these teams have a lot in common this year, and for tomorrow’s game, the field condition could be a factor in the outcome:
"I’d have no problem picking the Saints to win outright, were it not for the uncertainty of the playing surface. The Bears, also (5-8), are themselves struggling just like the Saints are at the moment; and they nearly could pass for mirror images of one another."
http://whodatdish.com/2014/12/14/saints-vs-bears-monday-night-x-factor-coach-sean-payton/
The Bleacher Report’s Zane Brown points out that these are 2 defenses that are struggling badly and this game could turn into a shoot out:
"The Saints field the league’s 31st-ranked unit in total defense, and they rank 30th in scoring defense, giving up an average of 27.6 points per contest. Ryan’s group has been hit with key injuries this year, and after a slight improvement in the middle of the season, the unit has regressed significantly over the past month. Don’t expect a defensive battle in this one, especially with names such as Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte lining up on offense."
Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman in their game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
My Prediction
This season has gone from bad to worse each and every week that the Bears step onto the field. That being said, the Saints have had many problems of their own, especially on defense. They also have 4 starters that are questionable to play and are coming off of a complete embarrassment in front of their home fans to Carolina last week.
As for the Bears, there seems to be a complete lack of trust and leadership on this team and all 3 phases are struggling. There’s really nothing that this football team does very well at all. Defensively, the “Monsters of the Midway” (hardly) rank 28th while the Saints rank 31st so there’s no reason to believe that this will be a low scoring game at all.
It pains me to say, but I really don’t think that the Bears will win another game this season. This team has shown no leadership, no identity and have gotten many struggling teams back on track when facing them this year. Despite the troubles in New Orleans, I’d still take Sean Payton over Marc Trestman any day. Drew Brees has torn apart teams that play similar zone defensive schemes as the Bears do and there’s nothing to suggest that anything will change this week. Jimmy Graham creates too many match up nightmares for this Bear defense and the Bears have struggled all season against big receivers and tight ends.
Saints 34, Bears 27
Lets just all hope that the Bears don’t embarrass themselves and this city once again, on national television.