Saints vs Bears 2020 Week 8 Preview: Series History, Facts, Statistical Comparisons

Week 8 Matchup
Broadcast Info
Bears Week 7 Stats
Saints Week 7 Stats
Bears Week 7 Recap
Series History
Statistical Comparison
Connections
Series Facts

Saints vs. Bears | Week 8 Matchup

In a battle of NFC powers, the Saints (4-2) will travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears (5-2) on Sunday for a 3:25 CT contest, riding a three-game winning streak.

The Saints are coming off a 27-24 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday led by two touchdown passes, a one-yard rushing touchdown and a fourth quarter game-winning drive for the go-ahead field goal by QB Drew Brees. It marked his 52nd career fourth quarter/overtime game-winning drive, ranked second to Peyton Manning (54) in the Super Bowl era. In addition to Brees' scoring dive, the club's running backs also made a significant contribution as RBs Latavius Murray and Alvin Kamara combined for 195 total yards from scrimmage, with Kamara having 148 combined yards and Murray serving as the sledgehammer final drive, contributing nine yards to New Orleans' game-clinching first down. The Saints also were a season-best 12-of-14 (85.7%) on third down.

Defensively, New Orleans allowed only 283 net yards to Chicago in an impressive defensive performance where they gave up only 37 rushing yards on 14 carries (2.6), the fewest rushing yards surrendered by the Saints in 2020. The New Orleans defense allowed only seven points in the second half and DE Marcus Davenport helped seal the win when he dropped Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater for an eight-yard loss on third down on Carolina's final possession, forcing them to attempt what was an unsuccessful 65-yard field goal try.

A fast start was important in a contest where New Orleans won the time of possession battle 34:41-25:19. Brees led New Orleans on their most impressive starting drive of the season, a 14-play, 75-yard drive that chewed 8:26 off the clock, ending with a four-yard touchdown pass to TE Jared Cook. New Orleans then took a 7-3 edge into the second quarter by holding Carolina to a field goal.

New Orleans took a 14-3 edge early in the second quarter on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Brees. Carolina quickly took the lead when Bridgewater tossed touchdown passes to Panthers WR D.J. Moore on Carolina's next two drives. With 1:37 left in the half, Brees led New Orleans on an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown pass to WR Deonte Harris to put the Saints back on top heading into halftime.

New Orleans then forced the only punt of the contest to open the third quarter and followed it up with a 41-yard field goal by K Wil Lutz to give the Saints a 24-17 lead with 4:24 left in the period. Later in the quarter, a five-yard rushing touchdown by Panthers RB Curtis Samuel tied the score at 24-24.

Getting the ball back, Brees led a 13-play, 50-yard drive that ended with a 43-yard field goal by Lutz to give the Saints the 27-24 lead they would hold onto.

Saints vs. Bears | Week 8 Broadcast Information

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020 – 3:25 P.M. (CST)
SOLDIER FIELD – CHICAGO, IL

TV: FOX (WVUE FOX 8 locally) – Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color analyst), Mike Pereira (rules) and Erin Andrews (sideline)
NATIONAL RADIO: Sports USA Radio – Larry Kahn (play-by-play) and Doug Plank (color analyst)
LOCAL RADIO: WWL (870 AM and 105.3 FM) – Zach Strief (play-by-play) and Deuce McAllister (color analyst)
SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: KGLA (830 AM and 105.7 FM) – Mario Jerez (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos and Victor Quinonez (color analysts)

Related Links

Chicago Bears | Top Stats in Week 7

Nick Foles: 28/40 for 261 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
David Montgomery: 14 rushes for 48 yards
Allen Robinson: 4 receptions for 70 yards

Full Box Score

New Orleans Saints | Top Stats in Week 7

Drew Brees: 29-36 for 287 yards, 2 TD
Alvin Kamara: 14 carries for 83 yards + 8 catches for 65 yards
Marquez Callaway: 8 receptions for 75 yards

Full Box Score

Chicago Bears | Week 7 Recap at Los Angeles Rams

from ChicagoBears.com

The Bears were outplayed on both sides of the ball Monday night in Los Angeles, falling to 5-2 with a 24-10 loss to the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

The Bears offense failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season and has now been limited to five TDs in its last four games after generating nine touchdowns in its first three contests.

The Bears reached the red zone twice Monday night. But Nick Foles threw an interception from the 9 with the Rams leading 17-3 in the third quarter, and then Foles was sacked on fourth-and-goal from the 4 in the fourth period while trailing 24-3.

View the full recap on ChicagoBears.com

Saints vs Bears | Series History

New Orleans leads the Saints-Bears regular season series 16-13, one of 12 clubs they have a winning record against. The Saints have dropped both playoff contests against Chicago, both of them played at Soldier Field. They will also be looking to extend the series win streak to six games. New Orleans has taken the last five meetings, including a 36-25 win on October 20, 2019 at Soldier Field. Of the 29 regular season contests in the all-time series, 14 have been decided by eight points or less, including seven of the last ten matchups. New Orleans has posted a 9-8 record against the Bears in road contests, with the 2002 contest played at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium due to renovations taking place at Soldier Field.