Despite the result, Saints' 21-9 Wild Card win vs Bears was concerning

Despite the result, Saints’ 21-9 Wild Card win vs Bears was concerning

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 10: Latavius Murray #28 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with Alvin Kamara #41 after scoring a six yard touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 10, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

7 of 9

(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Bears Miscues

As much as the Saints won this game, it really had more to do with the Bears losing this game:

Wide receiver Javon Wims dropped an easy 50-yard touchdown catch
They had nine penalties, including multiple key penalties in the red zone
They converted just one of ten third downs for a first down
They had a run-heavy approach and didn’t even try for a two-minute drill at the end of the first half
Receiver Anthony Miller got ejected for punching Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
Mitch Trubisky ran out of bounds on fourth down

These are not the types of actions would expect from a playoff team, which, in reality, the Bears were not fundamentally. They went just 8-8, had a negative point-differential, and went just 1-6 against teams with a winning record in the regular season.

In a way, this a freebie for the Saints, which is kind of fitting considering #2 seeds used to receive first-round byes. Against the Bucs, they won’t be able to exploit a team’s mistakes like they were able to do against the Bears.

Home/Saints News