• Stay Healthy: First week knee injuries to safety Mike Brown and defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek subtracted to vital pieces of the Bears defense. A case could be made that the 2007 Bears never fully recovered from their absence. It would be a shame if the season ended in a similar fashion.
The 2008 season is unofficially under way for a roster full of guys who believe this season was a hiccup.
However, a bounce-back effort next season requires a healthy, competitive roster. An injury Sunday impacts 2008 and the off-season planning effort by the organization.
Regardless of the outcome the Bears will feel fortunate if they come out of the game with everybody healthy.
• Keep Brees Off The Field: It’s hard to believe the Saints started the season winless in four games, with quarterback Drew Brees throwing just one touchdown, but nine interceptions. Since that opening month disaster, Brees has been special.
He’s one of four quarterbacks to throw for more than 4000 yards. He’s thrown more balls and completed more passes than any quarterback in the league. His pinpoint accuracy has led to 39 offensive touchdowns and the number one red zone attack in the NFL. He’s a chain-moving quarterback who has handed the ball off to 11 different players and thrown completed passes to 14 different receivers.
It’s really amazing production for a team that lost its starting running back Deuce McAllister after three games. So, keeping Brees off the field is necessary for the Bears to win the game.
• Lateral Pursuit And Tackling: The Brees-led offense will challenge the Bears outside the hashmarks with checkdowns and receiver screens. The Saints use those plays to chew up the clock, and move the chains. Defensive wide pursuit of the ball and punishing tackling will be critical for the Bears as the Saints try to spread them out. New Orleans is tied with Indianapolis with the second most 10-play drives this season in the NFL (32) trailing only New England.
In comparison, the league average is 25 and the Bears have 23.
• Pound The Ball: Rushing the ball more than 40-times last Sunday against the Packers led the Bears to victory. It didn’t matter that they averaged just 3.1 yards per carry. They picked up first downs, and owned the clock.
The same game plan would serve the Bears well against the pass-happy Saints.
This season, the Saints rank 14th in the league against the run, giving up 103 yards per game. Joseph Addai of Indianapolis, Earnest Graham of Tampa Bay and Brian Westbrook of the Eagles are the only backs to eclipse the 100-yard mark against the Saints.
Veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas leads a stout defensive front for the Saints in plugging running lanes. Adrian Peterson can earn the tough yards and Garrett Wolfe in a change of pace role can put together enough production to achieve the desired goal.
• Take The Ball Away: New Orleans comes into the game on a streak of committing at least one turnover in 16 straight games, which is the second longest active streak in the NFL.
In the 39-14 NFC Championship win over the Saints at Soldier Field in January, the Bears forced four Saints fumbles, recovering three and intercepted Brees once. After struggling over much of the season with taking the ball away, the Bears defense has stepped up with 17 takeaways in the last seven games resulting in 47 points. In the first 8 games of the season the Bears had 13 takeaways resulting in just 13 points. The Bears have had only five games with a + turnover edge on their opponents, but they’ve come in bunches.
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