The Chicago Bears (3-2) return to action Sunday when they host the red-hot New Orleans Saints (5-1) in what’s shaping up to be a pivotal NFC contest.
With the Saints down two offensive weapons in quarterback Drew Brees and running back Alvin Kamara, can the Bears take advantage and advance to 4-2 on the season?
Here are five storylines to watch as the Bears face the Saints on Sunday:
1. How does QB Mitch Trubisky fare in his return?
While Trubisky is questionable heading into Sunday’s game against the Saints, a full week of practice with no limitations of note is a reassuring sign that, barring a setback, Trubisky will return under center for the Bears.
While Trubisky has had a rough start to the 2019 season, ranking in the bottom tier of quarterbacks in three games, it did seem like he was starting to find a rhythm after a Redskins game where he tossed three touchdowns in the second quarter.
The offense’s struggles don’t all fall on Trubisky — as we saw against the Raiders — but he’s going to need some help from his offensive line, receivers and the run game.
With Trubisky’s return on Sunday — against a dominant Saints defensive front — how will he fare? Will he resemble the quarterback that threw three second-quarter touchdowns in Week 3 or the quarterback in Week 1 that looked like he didn’t belong on the field?
2. Can the Bears offense find its footing?
It’s a new week but the same question surrounding the Bears offense: Is this the week that they finally get going? It’s going to be difficult against a Saints defense that’s one of the best in the league getting after the quarterback. And when your offense is one-dimensional because you lack a running game, it could get ugly.
Which is why it’s so important for, again, the Bears to try and establish the run game. Matt Nagy and co. had two weeks to self-scout areas of concern and how to correct them, and the offensive line was certainly at the center of that. The Bears are the seventh-worst rushing team in the league, and if this team has any aspirations of fixing the offense, they need to find the run game.
Outside of the running game, receivers not named Allen Robinson need to step up in the passing game. With Taylor Gabriel returning after missing two games with a concussion, perhaps he reconnects with Trubisky after the pair connected for three touchdowns against the Redskins. Or maybe this is the game that Anthony Miller finally gets going.
3. How does the loss of Alvin Kamara affect Saints offense?
When the Saints lost quarterback Drew Brees to a thumb injury, many wondered if the offense would fall flat in his absence. It didn’t. While quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been solid in Brees’ relief, a big part of that has been the presence of running back Alvin Kamara.
But with Kamara already ruled out of Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, what can we expect from the Saints offense? Latavius Murray and Dwayne Washington will be the backs that will try to fill the big shoes left in Kamara’s absence, but it’s no secret Bridgewater is going to feel a lot more pressure without one of his biggest weapons.
Bridgewater will try to involve wide receiver Michael Thomas, who has been his safety net in the passing game. While Thomas was already a focus in the offense, he’s about to be a one-man show on Sunday. Thomas has caught 53 passes for 632 yards this season, which is first and second-best in the league, respectively.
4. How will Bears defense respond after Raiders loss?
The Bears defense had its worst game of the season against the Raiders in a 24-21 loss. It’s a loss that they’ve sat with for two weeks. Chicago had poor execution, poor tackling and were getting dominated in the trenches.
But is it really a cause for concern? That’s what this Bears defense will be looking to prove is not the case against a Saints offense that will be without its two biggest weapons in quarterback Drew Brees and running back Alvin Kamara, who has already been ruled out for Sunday with an ankle injury.
The Bears will go against quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has leaned on Kamara in Brees’ absence. But with Kamara out, Bridgewater will be forced to take the game into his own hands, which should have the Bears defense licking its chops. But we’ve been here before. We can say they can dominate an offense that they should dominate. But they need to go out and prove that two weeks ago was an anomaly.
5. How does the offensive line look?
Aside from the fact that the Bears offensive line will have a different look against the Saints, as Rashaad Coward or Ted Larsen take over at right guard for Kyle Long, all eyes will be in the trenches to see how the offensive line responds following a rough five-game start.
While there’s plenty of blame to go around with the offense’s struggles, the one glaring issue is with the run game, which hasn’t been helped by Chicago’s inability to get a push up front.
It won’t get easier when the Bears face a dominant defensive front in the Saints, which includes defensive end Cameron Jordan. But the Bears offensive line needs to show they can be better than what they’ve been in the first five games.
