Bears and Saints: TV, Radio, the Line and the Pick

The strangest of all Bears seasons reachs a critical point Sunday in New Orleans with a wild-card game against the second-seeded team in the NFC.

Chicago Bears (8-8) at New Orleans Saints (12-4)

Kickoff: 3:40 p.m. Mercedes Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.

TV:  CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Jay Feely, Tracy Wolfson)

Prime Video (Hannah Storm, Andrea Kremer)

Nickelodeon (Noah Eagle, Nate Burleson)

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

Spanish: Univision Deportes 1200 AM, 93.5 FM (Hector Lozano,  Omar Ramos)

National Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Krugler, James Lofton, Scott Graham)

The Series: 37th matchup. The Saints lead the all-time series 19-17. This includes the two postseason games played, both Bears victories. The Bears won 16-6 in a wild-card round game in January of 1991 at Soldier Field and in the NFC championship in January of 2007 at Soldier Field 39-14. The Saints have won the last six games in the series.

The Line:  Saints by 10 (47 over/under).

BearDigest Pick: Saints 34, Bears 13

At Stake: Advancement to the NFC divisional round. The Bears are seeded seventh in the NFC playoffs and the Saints second. If the Bears win, they would play in Green Bay next weekend.

Last Week: The Bears closed out the regular season losing 35-16 to the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field but made the playoffs because the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals 18-7. 

The Saints won 33-7 over the Carolina Panthers behind three touchdown passes from Drew Brees and 105 rushing yards from Ty Montgomery.

The Coaches: Bears coach Matt Nagy is 28-20 in three seasons, and is 0-1 in the NFL postseason. The Bears won the 2018 NFC North title and lost the wild-card round game 16-15 to Philadelphia. Nagy is 0-2 against the Saints, coached by Sean Payton.

Saints coach Sean Payton is 143-81 in his 14th season and coached the Saints the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLIV after the 2009 season. He is 2-0 against Matt Nagy's Bears and 8-7 in postseason play.

The Quarterbacks: Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky makes his second playoff start and is starting his seventh straight game after being benched in Week 3 and then reinstated for the 11th game of the season against Green Bay. In his lone playoff game, Trubisky was 26 of 43 for 303 yards with a touchdown and an 89.6 passer rating. This season the Bears have won six of Trubisky's nine starts this season. He is 199 of 297 for a career-best 67%, with 2,055 yards, 16 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 93.5 passer rating.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees starts his 17th playoff game and his team is 8-8 in his previous starts.  In the playoffs, Brees is 434 of 648 for 4,967 yards with 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a passer rating of 99.6. Brees has won his last five starts against the Bears and the last loss was the NFC championship game after the 2010 season.

Injury Report

Bears

Out

• LB Roquan Smith (elbow)
• WR Darnell Mooney (ankle)
• CB Buster Skrine (concussion)

Questionable

• CB Jaylon Johnson (shoulder)
• LB Josh Woods (toe, glute)

* Bears have activated DB Marqui Christian and LB Manti Ta'o from the practice squad

Saints

Out

• G Nick Easton (concussion)
• DE Trey Hendrickson (neck)

**Wide receivers Mark Thomas and Deonte Harris have been activated from injured reserve

***RBs Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray and FB Michael Burton have been activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Matching Up

The Bears are 26th on offense, 22nd passing and 25th rushing. On defense the Bears are 11th overall, 12th against the pass and 15th against the run.

The Saints are 12th on offense, 19th passing and sixth rushing. The New Orleans defense is fourth overall, fifth against the pass and fourth against the run.

What to Watch

• Can the Bears get the ball downfield in the passing game without Mooney and against the NFL defense leading the league in interceptions (18).
• Can the Bears continue running effectively as they have the last six games using bootleg action and a moving quarterback behind a new offensive line?
• Can their defense make up for losing Smith, their tackling leader, especially on the ground against Kamara and Murray?

• Can the Saints maintain a pass rush which has produced 45 sacks even though Hendrickson is out injured?
• Is Drew Brees still able to throw deep consistently and effectively when he turns 42 in a few days?
• Can Thomas and Kamara come right back and step in effectively after missing so much time?

Key Individual Matchups

 Bears RT Germain Ifedi vs. Saints LDE Cameron Jordan

Jordan has definitely had better seasons sack-wise. In fact, the six-time Pro Bowl player has matched the lowest total he had since his rookie year with 7 1/2 sacks. However, Jordan always attracts extra attention and when that happens the Saints have an excellent alternative off the other edge in Trey Hendrickson. Jordan has a tough assignment in this game because of the bootleg action the Bears have used extensively with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, but his quickness and athletic ability remain high at age 31. He did not have a sack facing Ifedi in last year's Seattle-New Orleans game. Ifedi is not at his best protecting the edge when blocking players who can combine speed with athleticism like Jordan can. He has allowed just two sacks despite playing five games at tackle, when he was originally signed to be a guard. Pro Football Focus gives him a midling grade of 63.7 as a pass blocker this year.

Bears LT Charles Leno Jr. vs. Saints RDE Carl Granderson

Most of the bootleg action run by the Bears has been to the right, as is the case with most right-handed quarterbacks. However, they have tested the left side with this at times and its success depends greatly on Mitchell Trubisky's ability to square his shoulders to the target line while on the run and Leno's ability to sell the inside run with his blocking. Leno would have been facing Trey Hendrickson, second in the NFL in sacks, but a neck injury has Hendrickson sidelined and Carl Granderson will fill in with Marcus Davenport also seeing time. Granderson has five sacks in limited playing time, and is not an overpowering type at 6-5, 261. He is agile and has good speed around the edge. Leno Jr. is a better pass blocker than run blocker normally and it's usually the edge rushers with great speed who have given him the fits. But since the Bears have gone to their new offensive line and used more bootleg action, Leno's run-blocking grades from PFF have risen to a 74.5, which is higher than his pass blocking.

Bears CB Duke Shelley vs. Saints WR Emmanuel Sanders

The Bears remember how dangerous Sanders can be when he scorched Buster Skrine for 11 receptions and 98 yards while with Denver last year in Week 2. Now the 11-year veteran receiver gets the chance to use his skills to get open out of the slot against a defensive back with only a handful of NFL snaps and should enjoy a huge edge in this matchup. Sanders missed three games earlier with COVID-19 and wasn't in the first Bears game. He had nine catches last week to show he's back to his old form. Shelley has been an adequate open-field tackler but struggled to keep up with slot receivers both against Green Bay and Minnesota.

Bears RCB Jaylon Johnson vs. Saints WR Michael Thomas

Johnson's projected return from a shoulder injury comes against one of the most productive receivers of the last decade. Thomas is coming off an ankle injury and has been slowed by injuries all year so there is no real health edge for anyone in this matchup. Thomas isn't necessarily the type of receiver to challenge a defensive back deep, but is a route runner without peer and highly athletic. He has the quickness to break short passes. Johnson will need to be physical and the question is whether he can do this because of the injury.

Bears ILB Josh Woods vs. Saints RB Alvin Kamara

This is a projected matchup because Kamara has been away for a week due to COVID-19 and it's possible he could return, although it hasn't been confirmed. Woods is making his first NFL start and it's in a playoff game. Trying to replace Roquan Smith will be no easy matter for Woods. He's not the physical tackler Smith is and will need to be sure in the open field because Kamara is as good a receiver out of the backfield as there is in the NFL. Woods is a former defensive back converted to linebacker, so he'll need to answer questions about his ability to stop the run in addition to covering Kamara in the flat and on screen passes. Smith is extremely adept at sniffing out screens and tackling backs for a loss. Can Woods do it? No one knows. He hasn't played enough. The screen could really be in play for the Saints in this game.

Bears WR Allen Robinson vs. Saints CB Marshon Lattimore

Somehow, Lattimore made the Pro Bowl this year. He has not been close to Pro Bowl material this season. His Pro Football Focus grade overall has been a sub-par 54.1 and he has a pass coverage grade of 53.7 on the season. Lattimore has played better in the second half of the season but not by much, and his coverage skills have left much to be desired. In the regular season, Robinson caught six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown against the Saints with Lattimore lining up on his side most often. This was with Nick Foles throwing to Robinson, who was a Pro Bowl snub despite 102 receptions this season. Robinson's quickness and ability to haul in passes in tight quarters are key here because Lattimore is only two inches shorter than Robinson.

Bears DE Akiem Hicks vs. Saints RG Cesar Ruiz

Hicks is a 352-pound former Saints player who in the past said there is no love lost for that organization, although he has seems to have softened somewhat on that this year. Hicks has had a solid season despite his sack numbers being down. He hasn't had a sack since Week 3 and had 3 1/2 his first three games. A few minor injuries slowed him at times. Hicks made a career-high 21 quarterback hits and his overall pressures of 27 were just off his total of 29 during the 2018 season. He's going against a Michigan rookie making his first playoff start because starter Nick Easton is in the concussion protocol. Ruiz was highly regarded by the Bears during the run up to the draft and worked under Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo with Michigan last year. Ruiz is a tough player with great strength but could be more of a center than a guard. Starting against Hicks in his first significant playing time isn't the fun way to break into the league. Would the Saints consider disrupting the entire line by using Ruiz at center and moving someone else to block Hicks? It seems unlikely.

Bears DE Bilal Nichols vs. Saints LG Andrus Peat

Like Lattimore, Peat has had a season living off of what he did in the past. He has allowed four sacks this year and his pass blocking has been given a grade of 58.8 by Pro Football Focus. Yet, he made the Pro Bowl. In this game he'll not only be facing only Nichols but also his former teammate Mario Edwards and Brent Urban. Most of the time, though, it will be Nichols, who has come on strong in the last 10 games. Nichols owns a 74.3 Pro Football Focus grade, a solid 73.9 as a pass rusher, and is second on the Bears in sacks with six. He has one interception and had another in his hands he dropped.

Bears TE Cole Kmet vs. Saints LB Zack Baun

The Saints use Baun in their base look and short yardage, but the Bears have been running plenty of two-tight end offense with Kmet showing far more blocking skills than he exhibited in college. This could keep them from taking Baun off. The bootleg action the Bears have been running revolves greatly around Kmet's abilities to get open in the flat in the passing game. Near the line Baun will get matched up on Kmet. Baun has a 62.0 PFF grade and has scored only 52.4 in stopping the run. David Montgomery running out of bootleg fakes could work to the strong side of the field in this matchup. It's something the Bears did not show in the first game since Nick Foles was at quarterback.

Of Note

 The Saints won the regular-season game at Soldier Field Nov. 1 26-23 on a  35-yard Wil Lutz field goal with 1:36 left in overtime. ... The Bears joined the 1970 Bengals and 2014 Panthers as the only teams to lose six straight in a season and still make the playoffs. ... In franchise history, the Bears are 17-19 in postseason. ... Trubisky set Bears franchise records for most passing yards and completions in a postseason game in his playoff start against the Eagles in January of 2019. ... Trubisky's 67% passes completed tied the franchise record set by Brian Hoyer (2016).  ... David Montgomery finished this season with 1,508 yards from scrimmage, one of five players in the NFL with 1,500 yards or more from scrimmage. ... Montgomery was the only NFL back with over 1,000 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards this season.  ... Allen Robinson broke the Bears postseason record for most receiving yards and receptions in a game, recording 143 receiving yards on 10 catches against the Eagles. ... Khalil Mack and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald are the only players with at least eight sacks in each of the last six seasons. ... Kamara, who tied an NFL record with six rushing TDs in Week 16, had 21 TDs overall to lead the NFL. He had 1,688 yards from scrimmage.

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