Inconsistent Saints aim to extend struggling Bears’ long Superdome skid
CHICAGO (2-6) at NEW ORLEANS (4-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
BETTING LINE: Saints by 8 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bears 2-5-1; Saints 3-4-1.
SERIES RECORD: Saints lead 18-15.
LAST MEETING: Saints beat Bears 21-9 in a wild-card playoff game on Jan. 10, 2021, in New Orleans.
LAST WEEK: Bears lost to Chargers 30-13; Saints beat Colts 38-27.
BEARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (6), PASS (26), SCORING (T17).
BEARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (3), PASS (30), SCORING (28).
SAINTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (20), PASS (T9), SCORING (T17).
SAINTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (15), PASS (7), SCORING (9).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bears minus-4; Saints plus-3.
BEARS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Tyson Bagent. Bagent is set to start his third consecutive game with Justin Fields sidelined because of a dislocated right thumb. The undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University in his home state of West Virginia struggled against Los Angeles after delivering a steady performance in Chicago’s win over Las Vegas. Bagent is 56 of 80 for 477 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions and a 73.8 passer rating since Fields was injured in the third quarter of a Week 6 loss to Minnesota.
SAINTS PLAYER TO WATCH: DE Carl Granderson leads New Orleans with 5 1/2 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 12 QB hurries to go with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He has a sack in three of his past four games and a tackle for loss in four straight.
KEY MATCHUP: A Saints running game which had 161 yards last week, led by RB Alvin Kamara and change-of-pace running QB Tayson Hill, against a Bears defensive front allowing just 78.8 yards rushing per game.
KEY INJURIES: Bears LT Braxton Jones (neck) was in the 21-day window to return from injured reserve. … S Eddie Jackson (foot) was active last week, but did not play for the fifth time in six games. … RG Nate Davis (high ankle sprain), LB Tremaine Edmunds (knee) and CB Terell Smith (mononucleosis) are banged up or ill. Saints linebacker (concussion, hamstring) Ty Summers and receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. (illness) missed practice time this week.
SERIES NOTES: The Saints have won the past six meetings in the regular season as well as the most recent postseason meeting. The Bears haven’t beaten New Orleans in the Superdome since 1991 and most recently beat the Saints on the road in 2005 at LSU’s Tiger Stadium, where the Saints played four home games that season because of Hurricane Katrina.
STATS AND STUFF: The Bears fired running backs coach David Walker on Wednesday, leaving coach Matt Eberflus down two assistants after defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned in September. The team did not say exactly why Walker was fired, though GM Ryan Poles indicated it was for conduct. … The Bears acquired Montez Sweat from Washington for a 2024 second-round pick on Tuesday, adding to a pass rush with a league-low 10 sacks. Sweat has 6 1/2 this season and 35 1/2 in his career. … TE Cole Kmet had a career-high 10 receptions for 79 yards last week. … DB Tyrique Stevenson had 12 tackles in Week 8, tied for the most by rookie in single game this season. … K Cairo Santos has made all 11 field-goal attempts this season. … Saints QB Derek Carr passed for 310 yards and two TDs without an interception for a season-high 133.3 rating in Week 8. … Carr has 300-plus yards passing in three straight games overall and has eclipsed that mark in two of three home games this season, with a 1-1 record in those games. … RB Alvin Kamara had 110 scrimmage yards (59 rushing, 51 receiving) and two TDs (one rushing, one receiving) last week and has 11 games with both a rushing and receiving TD, tied for fifth most in NFL history. … RB Jamaal Williams has rushed for a TD in his past two games against the Bears. … WR Rashid Shaheed had a career-high 153 yards receiving and his fifth-career TD catch in Week 8. … QB Taysom Hill rushed for two TDs last week, his sixth career game with two or more. He’s rushed for at least one TD in his past two games. … DE Cameron Jordan has a sack in each of his past two games against Chicago. … LB Demario Davis led the Saints with a season-high 12 tackles last week. … CB Marshon Lattimore has a tackle for loss in two of his past three games and a pass defensed in his past two games. He needs two passes defensed for his sixth career season with at least 10. … CB Paulson Adebo had his second INT of the season last week. He has two or more passes defensed in three of his past four games. … Lattimore and Adebo are tied for fifth in the NFL with eight passes defensed each.
FANTASY TIP: Kamara, who was suspended the first three games this season, has eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards in his past three games and leads all running backs with 39 catches in 2023.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl