How Bears Defense Can Improve in Rematch with Saints
Over four quarters of a football game this season, no defense did a better job of containing Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints offense than the Bears.
The Las Vegas Raiders held the Saints to 24 points in an upset win when they opened their new stadium and the Bears allowed New Orleans 26, but the Bears allowed only 23 over four quarters and it took almost a full overtime for the Saints to get more than 24 against the Bears defense in a 26-23 New Orleans victory.
So in trying to win a road playoff game for the first time since New Year's Day 1995, the Bears defensively could be good enough by simply repeating their performance at Soldier Field on Nov. 1.
This won't be easy. They played excellent defense in the red zone and on third down, much like they did during most of the first half of the season. They allowed only 2 of 13 third-down conversions and touchdowns on only 2 of 7 red-zone incursions.
They can do better overall, but without Roquan Smith available and possibly both Buster Skrine and Jaylon Johnson, it's a tough task to duplicate.
The Saints should have top receiver Michael Thomas back for this game from injured reserve and in the last game they didn't have slot receiver Emmanuel Sanders, but will now.
Here are four ways the Bears can get better on defense against the Saints in the rematch during the wild-card playoffs.
1. Cover Alvin Kamara
Danny Trevathan and possibly Josh Woods will need to be better at limiting Kamara with coverage and in open-field tackles in the passing game. The Bears held Kamara to 47 yards rushing until the next-to-last play of overtime. The run wasn't the problem.
What they didn't do was cover Kamara as a receiver. He has a real knack for slipping out of the backfield and runs routes better than many receivers to get open against zone coverage. Their zone coverage has to be closer to him and keep him from catching the ball with 3 yards or more of open space ahead so he can maneuver. They'd have a better chance of tackling him then in the open field.
2. Turn Taysom Hill sideways
The player who did the most to beat the Bears besides Kamara in their first game was Hill, and this came when he wasn't starting at quarterback for the Saints.
Hill lined up at quarterback basically as a wildcat player and shredded the Bears for 35 big yards on five carries. He had 4 or 5 yards before defensive players came near him. Hill runs like a fullback and is not particularly elusive as he is fast and strong. They need to get him turned and running sideways if he comes at them out of the wildcat like they would any other big running back.
3. Treat Jared Cook like a wide receiver
The Saints tight end is 6-foot-5, 254 pounds but gets downfield like a wide receiver in the Saints offense even though he's almost as old (33) as Bears tight end Jimmy Graham. Cook leads the Saints in yards per catch (13.6) and is averaging 15.1 yards a reception with New Orleans for two seasons. Against the Bears last time he made five receptions and a touchdown. He has to be covered with a safety, not a linebacker.
4. Make Drew Brees into a tired old man
The Vikings did this last year in the playoffs in New Orleans and it worked in an overtime win. They got after Brees all day and physically beat the Saints.
It hasn't been a banner year for the Bears pass rush with only 36 sacks after they told everyone they couldn't be stopped because Robert Quinn would take away the double teams on Khalil Mack. Quinn has been largely invisible with two sacks and Mack had a down year with nine. And the interior rush has been sporadic, as well, because Akiem Hicks made only 3 1/2 sacks, all in the first three weeks of the season. But they need to come with as much four-man pressure as they cam get on Brees and force him to throw under pressure because he's coming off the bad rib injuries and has struggled since his return to the lineup. Brees had one good game against Carolina in the finale, beating a losing team ready to go home. He threw three of his six interceptions on the season in his final three games after the injury. Hicks doesn't have great love for the Saints organization after being discarded early in his career and he can go a long way toward triggering an upset by getting in Brees' face repeatedly and finishing those rushes. Although Hicks hasn't had a sack in a long time, he has continued applying good pressure and has seven quarterback hits in his last four games.
The Bears had only occasional pressure on Brees in the first game with only one sack and two quarterback hits. It will need to increase because he'll have more targets available with both Emmanuel Sanders and possibly Thomas healthy.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
