The Chicago Bears defense has been playing superb over the course of their three-game winning streak, and now they’ll face a rebuilding New Orleans Saints team with plenty of opportunity to continue thriving.
In last week’s win over the Washington Commanders, the Bears forced three turnover — two fumbles and an interception from safety Jaquan Brisker, his first since September of 2024. Of the 12 total turnovers that the Bears defense has forced this season, 11 of them have come in their current winning streak, highlighted by four takeaways in the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Chicago’s defense will also have a bit more motivation to come ready to play for their defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who was previously the head coach and defensive coordinator for New Orleans before being fired in the middle of last season.
Here are the top three defensive keys for the Bears in a favorable matchup against the Saints.
Slow down the tricky run game
New Orleans’ running game is led by veteran superstar Alvin Kamara, but the Saints also have a Swiss Army Knife weapon in tight end Taysom Hill. Chicago’s run defense has been shaky to start the season, but they outrushed the Commanders in their Week 6 win by a total of 145 to 124. The Bears held Jacory Croskey-Merritt to just 61 yards on the ground, but they also gave up 51 yards rushing to quarterback Jayden Daniels. Spencer Rattler is not the same dual-threat that Daniels was, but New Orleans could get creative with their running game.
Continue forcing turnovers
The aforementioned 11 turnovers in the last three wins proves that when the Bears are creating takeaways, they’re winning football games. It won’t be an easy to task, as the Saints have only given the ball away four times in their first six games, even with the games not always being closely competitive. Chicago’s defense needs to continue getting the ball from their opponents, but quarterback Spencer Rattler has only thrown one interception on the season. There could be a bit more energy and intensity for the Bears defense in playing up for their defensive coordinator facing his former team, and New Orleans has allowed their quarterback to get sacked 11 times on the season.
Contain the speed of New Orleans
While there’s only one major speedster at the wide receiver position, the Bears will undoubtedly have to do their best to contain Rashid Shaheed in the passing game. In their only win of the season against the New York Giants, Shaheed broke free for an 87-yard touchdown reception, and has averaged 12.2 yards per catch on the season. The team’s leading receiver, Chris Olave, is averaging 8.8 yards per catch, so when the Saints attack with their passing game, they’re normally looking for a big play. As he has over the last few weeks, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson will be a major factor on the outside of the defense looking to slow down the speed of New Orleans’ receivers.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Saints: Defensive keys for Chicago in Week 7
