Key Matchups Favoring Bears in Playoff Game with Saints
Comparing the Bears and Saints in Sunday's wild-card game to earlier in the season is almost like apples and oranges.
At least in the case of the Bears, it's almost an irrelevant comparison.
They had Nick Foles at quarterback and no real running game at the time, although against New Orleans they did have their best rushing game of the seven the Foles started.
"We're a little different right now than we were then," Bears coach Matt Nagy said.
The Trubisky benching and Foles elevation altered the running game.
"I think probably the biggest thing is just understanding that whether there's a one-on-one matchup or schematically things that they do, it'll be a little different because of Mitchell vs. Nick."
Still, having played the Saints the Bears do know some things to expect, particularly in terms of matchups.
"It helps the players more than anything because they know (what) they're going up against," Nagy said. "If it's an offensive lineman or wide receiver, they kind of know who they're dealing with."
Here are four winnable individual matchups for the Bears heading into their first postseason road game since 1995.
Bears WR Allen Robinson vs. Saints CB Marshon Lattimore
Somehow, Lattimore made the Pro Bowl this year. He has not been close to Pro Bowl material this season. His Pro Football Focus grade overall has been a sub-par 54.1 and he has a pass coverage grade of 53.7 on the season. Lattimore has played better in the second half of the season but not by much, and his coverage skills have left much to be desired. In the regular season, Robinson caught six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Saints with Lattimore lining up on his side most often. This was with Nick Foles throwing to Robinson, who was a Pro Bowl snub despite 102 receptions this season. Robinson's quickness and ability to haul in passes in tight quarters are key here because Lattimore is only two inches shorter than Robinson.
Bears DE Akiem Hicks vs. Saints RG Nick Easton
Hicks is a 352-pound former Saints player who in the past said there is no love lost for that organization, although he has seems to have softened somewhat on that this year. Hicks has had a solid season despite his sack numbers being down. He hasn't had a sack since Week 3 and had 3 1/2 his first three games. A few minor injuries slowed him at times. Hicks made a career-high 21 quarterback hits and his overall pressures of 27 were just off his total of 29 during the 2018 season. He's going against a veteran journeyman who had been more of a center earlier. Easton is light for a guard at 303 pounds and could have trouble matching up with Hicks, who can be overpowering. The Bears need the interior rush to excel in this game because Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been anything but a standout since coming back from his rib area injuries, and is not a quarterback who will scramble excessively at this point in his career. The Saints want his passes coming from between the guards and not far back in the pocket but Hicks can destroy this approach.
Bears DE Bilal Nichols vs. Saints LG Andrus Peat
Like Lattimore, Peat has had a season living off of what he did in the past. He has allowed four sacks this year and his pass blocking has been given a grade of 58.8 by Pro Football Focus. Yet, he made the Pro Bowl. In this game he'll not only be facing only Nichols but also his former teammate Mario Edwards and Brent Urban. Most of the time, though, it will be Nichols, who has come on strong in the last 10 games. Nichols owns a 74.3 Pro Football Focus grade, a solid 73.9 as a pass rusher, and is second on the Bears in sacks with six. He has one interception and had another in his hands he dropped.
Bears TE Cole Kmet vs. Saints LB Zack Baun
The Saints use Baun in their base look and short yardage, but the Bears have been running plenty of two-tight end offense with Kmet showing far more blocking skills than he exhibited in college. This could keep them from taking Baun off. The bootleg action the Bears have been running revolves greatly around Kmet's abilities to get open in the flat in the passing game. Near the line Baun will get matched up on Kmet. Baun has a 62.0 PFF grade and has scored only 52.4 in stopping the run. David Montgomery running out of bootleg fakes could work to the strong side of the field in this matchup. It's something the Bears did not show in the first game since Nick Foles was at quarterback.
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