Saints Shut Down Bears, Advance to NFC Divisional Round

Drew Brees and the Saints cruised past the Bears in the NFC wild card on Sunday, rolling into the divisional round after a 21–9 home victory at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. And aside from some downright delightful moments on Nickelodeon, New Orleans' win was largely a snoozer. 

Chicago's offense was stymied by the Saints throughout Sunday's contest. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw for just 199 yards on 29 passing attempts, while Chicago's running game was bottled to just 48 yards on 19 carries. The Bears finished Sunday night just 1-10 on third down. They failed to find the end zone until the game's final minute, logging just two red-zone opportunities. After sneaking into the postseason, Sunday's poor performance will once again bring Mitchell Trubisky's future with the Bears into question. 

New Orleans' offense didn't exactly light it up on Sunday, but Brees and Co. were efficient in the easy victory. Brees completed 28 of 39 passes, adding two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Running back Alvin Kamara tallied 99 rushing yards on 23 attempts, giving the Saints a commanding lead with a three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. If Kamara continues to run like he did on Sunday, the Saints will remain a difficult opponent for every team in the playoffs.

Brees advanced to 9–8 all-time in the postseason with Sunday's victory. New Orleans will look to advance to the conference championship next weekend as it hosts Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.