Bears Blitz

Published by Timothy Hockemeyer on September 14, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Bears quieted a lot of the doubters after beating the Atlanta Falcons in dominant fashion on Sunday.  

But that victory was only the first part of the hectic trilogy the league saddled the Bears with to open the season.

Next up is the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints dropped their first game to the Bears’ division rival Green Bay Packers, failing to convert at the goal line as time expired in an exciting finish.

But that loss shouldn’t give Bears fan much confidence.  The Saints took the defending Super Bowl champions to the limit after starting slow.

You’re going to hear a lot of nonsensical data coming into the game, with Drew Brees having never beaten the Bears being to biggest of the bunch, followed closely behind by Olin Kreutz’s first game against the team he led for more than a decade.  

But it’s really going to come down to game plan.  Both teams are talent-heavy and both teams feature head coaches who are exceptional at creating a game plan to exploit the opponents’ weaknesses while disguising their own.

The Bears will enter week two as the fourth ranked defense and the 11th ranked offense.  The defensive ranking shouldn’t surprise anyone. 

But that offensive ranking is the first respectable position for the Bears offense since 2006.  Though it’s only built on one game, it was earned against the Atlanta Falcons.

Meanwhile New Orleans will enter the game with the league’s fifth ranked offense but the worst ranked defense in the league.  

Again, nobody should be surprised that the Saints ranked so high in offense, even though they faced the Packers in their opener.  But there were concerns about the Saints’ defense even before they allowed the Pack to drop 42 points on them.

The Bears appear to match up better against the Saints defense than New Orleans does against the Bears’ D.  But it’s hard to judge the explosiveness of the Saints dynamic offense.  Sean Payton’s team just dropped 34 points on last years No. 2 defense.

Two wild cards entering this game will be Olin Kreutz and Brian Urlacher.

The fact that Kreutz is facing his old team isn’t as important as his matchups against Henry Melton and Amobi Okoye.  Brian Urlacher may miss the game as he mourns the loss of his mother.  

The Bears have historically not done well without the presence of their defensive quarterback.  In a game against one of the best offenses in the league, the loss of No. 54 may be too much for the Bears to overcome.

At the Beginning of the season, I picked the Saints to win this game, sending the Bears to a 1-1 record.  I still stand by this prediction.  

I think it’ll be a good game, but that the Urlacher-less Bears fall to the Saints in a shootout 35-27.  Of course, if Urlacher decides to play, I think the Bears win 31-21.  

Now it’s your turn, ladies and gentlemen.  Step right up to the soapbox below—known as the comment thread—and give us your prediction on the game and/or your feelings on my take.

Author’s Note:  We would like to send our condolences to Brian Urlacher and his family in their time of loss and we are sincerely glad to see that family comes before football.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com