Chicago Bears Gameday: 3 Keys to Victory over the New Orleans Saints

The 2-6 Chicago Bears are on the road for week nine, where they will be traveling to face the 4-4 New Orleans Saints. In recent years, the matchups have been pretty one-sided, with the Bears on a seven-game losing streak versus the Saints, a feat that includes a notoriously memorable 21-9 wildcard playoff loss just three seasons ago.

To find the team's last win versus the black and gold, one must go all the way back to December 2008, when Chicago won their third game against New Orleans in 23 months, a feat that was made possible by the Bears' 39-14 victory against the Saints to win the NFC Championship game for the 2006 season.

How the Chicago Bears can beat the Saints on Sunday

Obviously, these franchises have changed dramatically since that Championship matchup at Soldier Field nearly 17 years ago, but even since their last matchup in the 2020 playoffs, both rosters have faced serious overhaul. Only a handful of starters from either team are still with the team just four years later, including Jimmy Graham, who will be on the other side of the field following a signing with the Saints this offseason after a brief retirement.

Despite the Bears' lack of recent success against the Saints, there is still optimism that Sunday will serve as another stepping stone for this young Chicago team as they look to earn their second win over the past three weeks with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent at the helm, but for the Bears to succeed, it will be important for the team to complete these three keys to success: