The New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears met for the 30th time on Sunday afternoon in a windy, wet, and cold Chicago, IL. The Saints lead the all-time series, 16-13, and came into week 8 with a 4-2 record, while the Bears had a 5-2 record.
Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara have been a productive team this year, especially missing Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The Bears would have to halt the Saints’ offensive line in order to have a chance at victory. The Bears were successful at keeping the Saints from reaching the end zone, but it ended up being a game of field goals. The Saints put up four field goal scores, including the first score of the game and the final score of the overtime period, and the Bears put up three field goals themselves.
The First Half
The Saints had the first possession and ran 12 plays and almost seven minutes off of the clock before closing out the drive with a field goal. Wil Lutz kicked the ball from 65 yards out and the Saints took the early lead, 3-0.
In their opening drive, the Bears came out and also ran seven minutes off of the clock before they finished their opening drive with a field goal as well. Cairo Santos put the ball through the posts from 44 yards out and the score was tied, 3-3, and didn’t change through the rest of the quarter.
In the next drive, the Bears held the Saints to another field goal attempt by Lutz, but for the first time in his career he missed a kick from under 30 yards, and Lutz kicked from 27 yards out. Chicago answered with the first touchdown of the game after Nick Foles threw a deep 24-yard pass to Allen Robinson who took it to the endzone for the score. Chicago had the lead 10-3 with 8:10 left in the second quarter.
Both teams exchanged downs until Chicago put another three points up with a 29-yard field goal kick by Santos. The Bears were up 13-3 with just over two minutes to play. The Saints answered with a touchdown in the next drive, with only three seconds left in the first half. Brees connected with Jared Cook for the 16-yard score. Chicago held a three-point lead going into half time, 13-10.
The Saints offensive line was on the field for four and a half minutes longer than the Bears offensive line and put up more yards in the first half 140-102, yet the Bears put up more rushing yards and points on the board.
The Second Half
The Bears started the second half with possession of the ball and couldn’t convert the opening drive into any points. New Orleans put three more points on the board in their opening drive after Lutz kicked the ball through the posts from 27 yards out. The score was tied 13-13 with 9:19 left in the third quarter.
During the following Chicago drive, Javon Wims punched C.J. Gardner-Johnson twice in the head and a small on-field brawl ensued.. Wims was called on the Unnecessary Roughness penalty, ejected from the game, and the team was hit with 15 yards for the penalty. In the next play, Foles threw a pass to Marshon Lattimore, giving New Orleans early possession.
Javon Wims to Chauncey Gardner Johnson. Almost like it’s Georgia-Florida week. pic.twitter.com/U58gWqURY3
— blakejmorgan (@bIakejmorgan) November 1, 2020
The Saints capitalized on the interception with another three points, Lutz kicked the ball 39 yards for the score, 16-13 with five minutes to play in the third quarter. Both teams exchanged downs for the rest of the third quarter and the score remained unchanged.
Chicago didn’t produce anything during their opening drive and in the Saints’ opening drive, Taysom Hill put his first receiving touchdown of the season on the board. He caught a 20-yard pass from Brees and took it in for the score.
With ten minutes left in the game, the Saints were up by ten points, 23-13, however, the Bears answered in the next drive when Foley hit Mooney for a three-yard touchdown pass. This brought the game back to a three-point game with three and a half minutes left to go, 23-20. Both teams made the attempt to put a touchdown up before the end of the game, but neither was successful. Santos, however, kicked a 51-yard field goal kick to tie the game, 23-23 with 13 seconds left to go.
Overtime
Both teams ended up punting the ball in their first drive of the overtime period. So, in the next possession, a field goal could be a winning ticket for either team. New Orleans had the first shot at putting the points up before the end of the overtime period, and Lutz put it through the posts from 35 yards out to give the Saints the win in overtime. 26-23. This game essentially came down to field goals. Had Lutz made the 27 yards missed field goal, the team wouldn’t have gone to overtime, and it was Lutz who cemented the victory for the Saints in overtime.
Highlights
The throw. The dive. The catch.@AllenRobinson pins the TD catch to his helmet! #DaBears
— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2020
📺: #NOvsCHI on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/ow2iBsMpyD pic.twitter.com/Ij4r7ZRRFa
.@cairosantos19 SENDS it from 51 yards out & us into OT.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 2, 2020
📺: FOX#NOvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/xPexCm9b4R
Taysom Hill making Taysom Hill happen!💪
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 2, 2020
📺 : FOX | #BudLightCelly pic.twitter.com/4bVJoP6Kss
The Saints will face the divisional foe, Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa Bay next Sunday, and Chicago will travel to Nashville, TN to face the Titans.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
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