After losing a tough game to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chicago Bears remain on the road in Week 9 as they travel to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints.

The Bears will start backup quarterback Tyson Bagent for the 3rd consecutive game, as QB1 Justin Fields recovers from his thumb injury. Fields was able to toss the ball this week in practice, but head coach Matt Eberflus said he is not ready to return to the lineup yet.

Bagent, an undrafted rookie from Division 2 Shepherd University in West Virginia, has performed adequately. He led the Bears to a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in his first start, but the Chargers dominated the game on both sides of the ball and recorded a 30-13 victory in Week 8.

The Bears come into the game with a 2-6 record and are in last place in the NFC North. The Saints are 4-4 this season and they are coming off a 38-27 road victory over the Indianapolis Colts. They are tied with the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South.

The Saints would appear to have a big advantage under center, as veteran Derek Carr gets the start. He has completed 182 of 282 passes for 1,910 yards with 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

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The Bears have struggled on defense most of the year as they rank 23rd in yards allowed. However, they made a big move at the trade deadline by acquiring Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders, and he should help Chicago improve in that area.

Montez Sweat should see action and deliver at least 1 sack

Sweat was made available by the Commanders at the trade deadline and the Bears were more than happy to send a 2nd-round draft choice to Washington to acquire his services.

It is very unlikely that Sweat will play on an every-down basis for his new team against the Saints, but he is on track to line up against the Saints and should see action on passing downs.

The 27-year-old Sweat checks in at 6-6 and 262 pounds, and he has had a very productive year. He comes into this game with 32 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 1 pass defensed and 2 forced fumbles. Even if he does not play every down, the Saints are going to have to account for him whenever he is on the field.

Sweat should become their best front-7 player shortly and he will have a chance to put his signature on this unit.

Look for him to make a statement in this game with at least 1 sack.

Tyson Bagent will be held to 150 passing yards and 1 TD pass

The Saints are one of the more impressive defensive teams in the league as they rank 5th in yards allowed, giving up 296.4 yards per game. They are a sharp, veteran team, and they will certainly put quite a bit of pressure on a rookie quarterback.

Carl Granderson leads the Saints with 5.5 sacks, and Demario Davis leads the team with 55 tackles and he has added 2.0 sacks. The Saints also have a very active secondary and have registered 9 interceptions to this point in the year.

They have defensive backs like Tyrann Mathieu who can goad a young quarterback into throwing interceptions.

Bagent has to be careful to protect the ball. His best chance will be to throw short- and medium-range passes to wide receiver D.J. Moore and tight end Cole Kmet. Those are the Bears' two most dependable pass catchers.

If the Bears can run the ball, that will take much of the pressure off Bagent.

Don't expect the young quarterback to throw for more than 150 yards with 1 touchdown because the Saints have the savvy to limit a young quarterback.

Bears will deliver a competitive effort, but the Saints have too many weapons

The Bears first win of the season came on the road against the Commanders. While the Saints are probably a better team than Washington, Chicago should not be intimidated by having to play away from home.

The Bears should be able to match New Orleans in intensity, but the Saints have too much talent with Carr, Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill, Chris Olave, Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed. The Saints will limit the Bears offensive production and put the game away with 2 fourth-quarter touchdowns.