These aren’t exactly the Chicago Bears the New Orleans Saints thought they’d face just a couple of weeks ago. Justin Fields has already been ruled out for this game with a thumb injury. That leaves Tyson Bagent to start his third game of the season.
The Bears also made a splash at the trade deadline, trading for Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders. It’ll be interesting to see how the pass rusher impacts those around him as well as his own production. These changes to the Bears has made this game much more focused on the trenches.
These are the 3 matchups to watch in Bears vs. Saints:
Montez Sweat vs. Saints offensive tackles
The Bears made a huge move at the trade deadline to acquire defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders. He’s been with the team for less than a week, but he’ll likely be used in obvious pass rush situations. Even without knowledge of the playbook, Sweat can wreck shop in that capacity.
Bears running backs vs. Saints front seven
The Bears have a triumvirate of running backs that have become more important since Justin Fields’ injury. The quarterback no longer is a major factor in the run game. The workload now falls fully on D’Onta Foremon, Darrynton Evans and Roschon Johnson. At times, the Saints have been susceptible to allowing big runs. The Saints need to win this matchup, preferably without the occasional big run, to put more pressure on the rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent.
Andrew Billings vs. Saints interior offensive line
The Saints running game has steadily improved since the return of Alvin Kamara. Jamaal Williams has also returned from injured reserve. The Saints now have their complete arsenal of rushing weapons: Kamara, Williams, Kendre Miller and Taysom Hill.
Hill tied his season high in carries and scored two touchdowns along the way. Andrew Billings has the ability to attack the interior offensive line of the Saints. Billings just signed a contract extension, so the Bears clearly value what he’s been able to do after signing a free agent contract just this offseason. That interior pressure could derail the Ne
