This has to be one of the least exciting Monday night football games in Saints history. That seems insane to say when the Saints are still in the thick of the playoff picture but it’s the reality of where we stand given the team’s performance for the better part of a month and a half. When looking at these teams it’s crazy to think about how similar they are. Besides the 5-8 record which is the obvious comparison, you’ll find these two mirror each others in many ways. Both showcase potent offenses that get in their own way with untimely turnovers. Both showcase horrific defenses that seem to have largely quit. Both have made questionable coaching decisions throughout the season. The main difference, of course, is that the Saints still have something to play for. They also have a better quarterback, a better head coach, and a worse defense. And who knows what that all adds up to? Here’s five things I’m looking for:
1. Who blinks first?
These two teams are so shot from a confidence standpoint that we’ve seen the will to fight evaporate. Either team winning in blowout fashion is entirely likely. If one of the two teams gets up two scores in the first quarter there may be an opportunity to coast to victory as the other team shuts it down. The Saints have started entirely too many games in disaster fashion this year. How things go early will dictate how much effort we see in the second half. We know both teams are prone to major mistakes and bad defense – so which one will fall apart sooner? That’s the one most likely to lose in my opinion. If the Bears get off to a slow start the fans in the stands will unleash hell on them and it will feel like a friendly atmosphere to play in for the Saints. If the Bears get off to a fast start, though, all will be forgiven for 3 hours and the Saints will struggle in their current state in a hostile environment.
2. Jay Cutler: cured by Saints or done in by Bears?
I’m really curious to see how Jay Cutler performs this week. He’s been in a bad way recently and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer threw him under the bus in the media. Trust between staff and player at this point are irrevocably broken. I see this playing one of two ways. Either Cutler plays lights out against a struggling defense and uses this negative media as fuel to prove them wrong, or he decides “screw you guys I’m not going to play hard to you”. I’m praying for the latter but expecting the former. God knows the Saints defense has been the miracle cure to slumping quarterbacks all season long. All too often quarterbacks have come in against the Saints as the seasick and weakened Popeye with this defense serving as the battleship sized can of spinach.
3. Can the Saints offense capitalize on this mismatch?
The Saints offense is struggling right now. The performance against the Panthers was laughable and the number of dropped balls was shocking. The Bears are ranked 28th overall and 32nd in points allowed. This might be the worst defense the Saints will face all year, with the possible exception of Atlanta next week. If the Saints are going to have any chance in this game they need to put up serious yards and points. The defense is going to get gashed. At this point there is no hope for a change this season in that department. The only chance here is to outscore the Bears in a shootout. As bad as the Saints have been at times, they’re still the 3rd offense in the NFL. They need to act like it.
4. Does the run defense show us anything?
The Saints’ run defense is in shambles. Consider what they’ve done since they beat the Panthers on the road:
49ers 144 yards at 4.5 per carry.
Bengals 186 yards at 5.2.
Ravens 216 at 6.7.
Steelers 103 at 4.5.
Panthers 271 at 6.8.
It’s getting worse and worse. I have more confidence in the New Orleans levee system going up against Godzilla than I do in the Saints’ run defense. The Bears aren’t great running the ball but Matt Forte is still at 854 yards rushing on the season at 4.0 per carry. This is a great opportunity for him to eclipse 1,000 for the season and boost his numbers. If I’m the Bears watching tape, how could they not feed it to him 35 times in this game? I would honestly run the ball on 3rd and 5 against the Saints right now. We know the Bears will run him and we know the Saints will struggle to stop it. But can they show us any improvement whatsoever in this department?
5. A street Vaccaro named Desire
I don’t think Tennessee Williams would appreciate my pathetic play on words literary reference there. Alas, Kenny Vaccaro has been benched. Just kidding, he’s been demoted. Well, sort of, but he’s still going to play a ton. This has been a weird development all week. What we do know is Vaccaro came in with unrealistic expectations this year (maybe) and he didn’t come close to living up to them. In fact, I’m not sure he’s lived up to the expectations I had for Roman Harper in 2013. The fact that he’s been able to avoid getting removed from duties until now based on the way he’s played this year speaks to the 1st round investment the Saints made in him. Simply put, they kept hoping he would turn things around based on what they’ve seen out of him in 2013 and he hasn’t. So now he’s on high alert. I’m really curious to see how he plays in this game. Does he respond and turn in a big performance? Or is Vaccaro a sinking ship? If this doesn’t help him refocus I’m afraid nothing will and this will turn into a bust of a pick. He still has a long way to go in his career but the improvement needs to start now.
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