The New Orleans Saints have a chance to put themselves in the driver's seat of the NFC South, but first they must get a road win over the Chicago Bears. The Saints remain tied for first with the Atlanta Falcons despite losing to the Carolina Panthers in a devastating 41-10 defeat. The Falcons failed to rally over the Green Bay Packers, keeping the standings the same. However, a win over the Bears puts the Saints in position as the two teams then face off next week.
The Saints are aiming to become the NFC South champion despite likely finishing with a losing record. They would be the fifth division champion to not have a winning season. The last two do so were the 2010 Seattle Seahawks. New Orleans has tried bolstering their roster and fire players up by benching those not giving effort. It was reported that both wide receiver Joe Morgan and Kenny Vaccaro could be out in this game thanks to a penching by head coach Sean Payton.
The Saints are struggling. In their past five games, they have allowed at least 27 points on an average of 472.3 yards per game. That is the second-most in the league behind the Atlanta Falcons. However, the best way to turn things around could be to face a struggling offense like Chicago's. The Bears have been eliminated from the postseason for the fourth straight year while Jay Cutler continues to not look worth that seven-year, $126.7 million contract he signed. There have been rumors of buyer's remorse and some suggest the quarterback could be available for trading after throwing 15 interceptions on the season. Injuries are not helping as Brandon Marshall was lost for the season after suffering a rib injury.
The Saints will rely heavily on the rushing attack of Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson as both players continue to look impressive and help Brees out. The quarterback had one of his worst performances against the Panthers with just 235 yards on a 59.2 completion percentage.