Looking back at the New Orleans Saints halfway through the season
By Tony Twillie
![NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 25: Alex Anzalone #47 of the New Orleans Saints in action against the Carolina Panthers during a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 25, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 25: Alex Anzalone #47 of the New Orleans Saints in action against the Carolina Panthers during a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 25, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fwhodatdish-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2018-2F08-2F1282381518-850x560-6386e3d14ef22c08f16a70511f1e25be.jpg)
Chicago Bears
Last season the Saints went to Chicago and beat the Bears up pretty badly. It was fairly certain that the Bears, with a better defense, weren’t going to allow that to happen again.
The turning point of this game for the Saints was in the third quarter. After a nice defensive series to open the quarter, Chicago punted to Deonte Harris who returned the punt 42 yards to the Bears’ 16-yard line. We could only muster three points there.
On the next possession for the Bears, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson’s antics got the best of a Bears receiver and he threw punches, garnering him an ejection and his team a 15-yard penalty. On the next play, Marshon Lattimore intercepted Bears QB Nick Foles and again we have the ball well into Bears territory.
Credit to the Bears defense again, the Saints were held to another FG.
This momentum shift carried into the fourth quarter where the Saints pulled ahead by 10. But the Bears manufactured their own offense and matched those 10 points just before the game’s end. Regulation ended on a 23-23 tie.
In OT, the Saints couldn’t move past mid-field in their first possession, but the black and gold defense did an even better job of holding the Bears well into their own territory. With better field position in the second possession, the Saints got serious and moved into Lutz’s range, knocking down the game-winning FG. Saints win 26-23.