Bears and Saints: TV, Radio, Matchups and Prediction

New Orleans Saints (4-2) at Chicago Bears (5-2)

Kickoff: 3:25 p.m., Soldier Field

TV: Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews)

Radio: WBBM-AM 780, 105.9 FM (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote)

National Radio, Sports USA (Larry Kahn, Doug Plank)

Sirius Channel 225.

Spanish: Univision Deportes 1200 AM, 93.5 FM (Hector Lopez, Miguel Esparza)

The Series: 32nd matchup. Saints lead 16-15. New Orleans has won the last five games. The last Bears win came in 2008. The Bears have won both postseason games between the teams, 39-14 in the 2006 NFC championship game and 16-6 in the 1991 playoffs, both at Soldier Field.

The Line: Saints by 4 1/2. 

BearDigest Pick: Saints 23, Bears 6.

Last Week: The Saints beat Carolina 27-24. A Will Lutz field goal of 43 yards with 7:55 left provided the winning points and the Saints hung on as Joey Slye's 65-yard field goal try with two minutes left came up inches short of the crossbar.

The Bears lost on Monday Night Football in Los Angeles to the Rams 24-10 and went without a touchdown on offense.

The Coaches: Saints coach Sean Payton has a 135-79 record for 14 seasons and is 5-2 against the Bears. He is 1-0 against Matt Nagy's Bears.

Bears coach Matt Nagy is 25-14 in his third year and 0-1 against the Saints.

The Quarterbacks: Saints QB Drew Brees, 41, is in his 20th NFL season and 15th in New Orleans. He has a passer rating of 105.8 and is averaging 7.6 yards per attempt with 11 TDs and three interceptions. His teams are 5-4 against the Bears, 5-3 with the Saints, including a loss in the 2006 NFC championship game. He has beaten the Bears five straight times.

Bears quarterback Nick Foles is making his fifth start in Chicago. The Bears are 2-2 in his starts and he rallied them for a win in his first appearance this season in Week 3 against Atlanta. Foles has thrown six TD passes with six interceptions, has a passer rating of 77.6 while averaging 5.9 yards a pass attempt. Foles' only start against the Saints was a 2013 playoff loss in Philadelphia, 26-24.

Injury Report

Saints

Out

WR Michael Thomas (hamstring/ankle)

WR Marquez Callway (ankle)

G Nick Easton (concussion)

WR Emmanel Sanders (Reserve/COVID-19)

Bears

Out

C Cody Whitehair (calf)

Questionable

S Eddie Jackson (knee)

OLB Khalil Mack (ankle)

DB Sherrick McManis (hamstring)

RB Cordarrelle Patterson (quad)

Matching Up

The Saints are ninth on offense including seventh passing and 13th rushing. New Orleans is seventh on defense, including 17th against the pass and fourth against the run.

The Bears are 29th on offense, 25th passing and last (32nd) rushing. The Bears rank 10th on defense, ninth against the pass, 15th against the run.

Key Individual Matchups

WR Allen Robinson vs. RCB Marshon Lattimore

Allen Robinson now gets the matchup against Lattimore after clearing the concussion protocol and if he's entirely over the head injury it means a favorable situation for the Bears. The Saints have been vulnerable downfield and it's more of a chance to go for the 50-50 ball. New Orleans' two-time Pro Bowl cornerback is experiencing an abysmal season by his standards. He has been giving up a 64% completion percentage and a 126.1 passer rating and allowed two touchdown passes. A hamstring issue plagued him for two weeks earlier this year. Pro Football Focus gives him a coverage grade of only 48.6 and an overall grade of 49.0 this year. Robinson has had four catches or more in six of the seven games this season.

 Bears RCB Jaylon Johnson vs. Saints WR Tre'Quan Smith

Without both Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders already, and now without Marquez Callaway, the Saints are scraping the bottom of the barrell at receiver. The Saints barrel bottoms are as good as many teams' starters. Smith had 28 catches as a rookie out of Central Floriday then only 18 last year but has stepped up with all the receiver injuries to make 20. He's a difficult matchup for Johnson because of his height, at 6-foot-2. Johnson's problem so far hasn't necessarily been height. Nor has it been speed, although a few faster receivers did get behind him. It's the problem many rookie corners have and that's battling all the maneuvering pro receivers throw that they've never seen. Although Pro Football Focus has seemed to sour on Johnson, he's still commanding a 46.8% completion percentage against when targeted, and a passer rating of 82.3 allowed. He's also been a fairly steady tackler for a cornerback despite that trucking he received in the opener with Detroit. He has missed only 11.5% of his tackles.

DE Mario Edwards/Roy Robertson-Harris vs. LG Andrus Peat

This could be Roy Robertson-Harris as well but Edwards was listed here because it's the team that cut him and he admitted last week he has targeted this game. He's not the only one. Defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and John Jenkins are former Saints, as well. Three quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and a sack in limited play show Edwards has been a valuable pass-rush addition for the Bears on the inside. If the Bears are to get a push in this one, they're going to want it up the middle because Drew Brees is not a tall quarterback and in the Saints offense the emphasis is on getting the ball off in the pocket behind center and guards at a relatively close point to the line of scrimmage. If Edward and/or Robertson-Harris, as well as Hicks, can get the line driving back, they can block Brees' ability to see downfield or escape the pocket. Peat is the most hot-and-cold blocker on the Saints line and commands the lowest PFF grade. Edwards should know his strengths and weaknesses from their time together with the team.

Bears ILB Roquan Smith vs. Rams RB Alvin Kamara

Smith had been riding a real high for three games on defense but the Rams brought him back to earth. Their running backs hurt the Bears for 120 of their rushing yards and tight ends also damaged the Bears in that game, with Bears inside linebacker barely making an impact. Smith has to step back up to the level he had played at for those three games. Kamara is on track to make over 100 receptions and is easily his team's leading receiver. Putting a safety on him as a receiver might take away some of the problem but then he is such a strong runner he can shed a safety's tackle attempt. Ideally Smith should be able to provide help in the screen game especially. The Saints love getting Kamara the ball on screens and Smith has been adept at stopping these from Day 1 of camp.

Bears OLB Khalil Mack vs. Saints RT Ryan Ramczyk

It's rare when Mack has his hands full, but he would this week even without the ankle injury he suffered against the Rams which kept him from practicing until Friday. Ramczyk made All-Pro last year and at 6-foot-6, 314 pounds he isn't the protypical size many teams go with at right tackle. Usually that position is a mauler, almost a guard in size but with longer arms. Ramczyk gets it done with quickness, strength and technique. He comes into the game with an outstanding 78.1 Pro Football Focus grade and just one sack allowed. This after he put up a spectacular 90.8 last year. Mack definitely will be challenged but working on his side is his strength, if the ankle isn't a problem. He is powerful around the corner and can counter Ramczyk's quickness. Mack had just a quarterback hit last year. Making the battle more challenging for Mack is that the Bears often would have him pull off into coverage for screen-pass prevention against a team with a running back like Kamara, so his chances of big defensive plays appear diminished.

Bears T Bobby Massie vs. Saints DE Cameron Jordan

Jordan has had a quiet start as a pass rusher, as virtually all the Saints have. He comes in with just 1 1/2 sacks, but his presence in stopping the run has been a key in helping New Orleans rank fourth in rushing defense. Jordan does it with quickness, persistence and athletic ability but at 287 pounds is plenty big enough to jolt tackles with his strength. He's not a prototypical edge rusher at that size. This is really a strength on strength matchup because Massie has been the best Bears offensive lineman despite three sacks allowed. His PFF grade of 71.8 reflects the quality play the Bears have had from him. He has been a better pass blocker (70.7) than run blocker (63.2), which is a general them for the entire Bears offensive line. Jordan won this battle decisively last year and had two sacks in the game. 

Of Note

Saints coach Sean Payton is a former Bears player, a QB from the 1987 strike team known as the "Spare Bears." ... The Saints rank 31st in the league in red zone defense, allowing touchdowns on 85% of opposing possessions. ... The Bears rank No. 1 in red zone defense, allowing TDs on 36.4% of opponents' possessions. ... The Bears rank second at third-down defense, stopping 61.2% of third-down conversions, trailing only Miami. ... Khalil Mack is fifth in the league in sacks with 5 1/2 and has at least one in each of the last three games, the NFL's second-longest current streak. ... Nick Foles is one of only three NFL QBs to throw three fourth-quarter TD passes in a game this year. The others are Baker Mayfield and his teammate, Mitchell Trubisky. ... Saints running back Alvin Kamara has 824 scrimmage yards, No. 1 in the NFL. ... Saints tight end Jared Cook has TD catches in his last three road games. ... Saints DE Cameron Jordan has 12 1/2 sacks in his last eight road games.

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