The 5-2 Chicago Bears host the 4-2 New Orleans Saints in Week 8 at Soldier Field.
The Bears are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7 out in California. Chicago's offense didn't score a touchdown and quarterback Nick Foles threw two interceptions, including one in the red zone.
The only touchdown the Bears got was on a fumble return by star safety Eddie Jackson. Chicago lost to Los Angeles by a final score of 24-10.
The Saints, meanwhile, are rolling right now. They come into the Bears game on a three-game winning streak. New Orleans, after losing to the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, has defeated the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers.
With the Bears-Saints game almost here, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the contest from a Chicago point of view.
1. Nick Foles throws one touchdown, one interception
Since taking over for Mitchell Trubisky in the second half of the Bears' Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Foles has thrown for six touchdowns and six interceptions. He's thrown an interception in every game and Chicago's offense hasn't looked that much better with Foles at the controls over Trubisky.
The Bears have arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL and Foles could be without center Cody Whitehair against the Saints. Although the Saints allow 29.0 points per game, the Bears aren't an explosive offense and star wideout Allen Robinson is questionable to play due to a concussion.
With that being said, we have Foles throwing for one touchdown and one interception against the Saints. He may be a slightly better pocket passer than Trubisky, but Foles' lack of mobility makes it hard for Chicago to execute its offense since the O-line is awful.
2. David Montgomery continues to struggle
The Bears have the worst rushing attack in the NFL. They are only averaging 84 yards per game, mostly because the O-line is putrid.
With that being said, look for Bears running back David Montgomery to continue to struggle against the Saints. He's carried the ball 96 times this season for a grand total of 353 yards and one touchdown. While he can't do much since his O-line isn't creating any running lanes, Montgomery lacks speed and explosiveness good teams get from their running backs.
The Bears really miss Tarik Cohen, who was lost for the season in Week 3 after tearing his ACL. He's the speedster and change of pace guy Chicago needs alongside Montgomery.
Barring a miracle, Montgomery won't get in the end zone or reach the 100-yard mark against the Saints. He's just not fast enough to elude defenders and Chicago's O-line isn't giving him any lanes to attack.
3. Bears defense records zero turnovers
The Bears have one of the better defenses in the NFL. However, they have had trouble stopping the run this season and tackling runners in the open field.
While the Bears have forced a turnover in three straight games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and Rams, we don't envision Chicago getting one in Week 8 against Drew Brees and the Saints. New Orleans is 5-0 against the Bears in the last five meetings and Brees is still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL despite his declining arm strength.
The Bears may get a few sacks against Brees since he's not mobile at all, but don't expect Khalil Mack and Co. to force any turnovers since they are coming off a short week, Mack and Jackson are banged up and the defense will likely be on the field too much since Foles and Co. are terrible on offense.
4. Bears lose to drop to 5-3 on the season
Before the Bears got smacked by the Rams, most pundits were calling them pretenders despite their 5-1 record. The only good team Chicago has defeated this season is the Bucs. While the Bears are playing at home and it will likely be cold in Chicago, the Bears' offense will ultimately not be able to keep up with Brees and Alvin Kamara.
That means the Bears' defense is likely going to be tired since the offense will probably have a lot of three-and-outs against the Saints. It doesn't really matter who the quarterback for the Bears is. If the signal-caller doesn't have any time to throw, it's a lost cause. Chicago general manager Ryan Pace has done a poor job constructing the O-line and it's showing this season.
Head coach Matt Nagy and Pace are already under fire from Bears fans after the Rams loss. That noise will likely increase after Week 8 unless Chicago somehow comes away with a win, which we don't see happening.
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