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A pair of teams
that have struggled on both offense and defense this season meet when the Chicago
Bears visit the New Orleans Saints.
Chicago has scored the third-fewest points in the NFC and is last in the NFL
in total offense, while New Orleans has tallied the fifth-least points in the
conference.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears are 28th in the NFL, allowing opponents an average of 368 yards per game. The Saints are 20th in total defense, and 25th against the run.
New Orleans had its losing streak extended to three games last week, falling 19-13 on the road to the undefeated Carolina Panthers.
The injury-riddled Saints were down six starters on defense, but they showed major improvement after losing 55-21 to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. NFL Tickets
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New Orleans allowed the Colts to rack up 418 total yards, but against Carolina,
the Saints clamped down and gave up 309 yards.
New Orleans had a chance late in the game after cutting it to 19-13 on John Carney's 26-yard field goal with 1:43 to play, but they couldn't stop the Panthers from running the clock out.
The Saints had 344 total yards, including 155 on the ground, but coach Jim Haslett said gaining yards doesn't mean much if New Orleans can't get into the end zone. NFL Tickets
``We didn't put enough points on the board for the amount of yards and production that we had,'' Haslett said. ``We did a lot of good things, but you have to put points on the board to win. Thirteen points is not good enough when you have 350 yards on offense.''
``I think everyone is frustrated. Everybody including the fans, players and coaches are frustrated. That's something that winning will cure.''
Everyone surrounding the Bears organization was frustrated as Chicago headed into Week 5 without a win in its first three games. But a come-from-behind 24-21 victory over the defending AFC champion Oakland Raiders provided a temporary reprieve.
The Bears looked like they were on their way to another defeat as they trailed 18-3 at halftime and 18-6 at the end of the third quarter.
But in the fourth, Chicago scored two touchdowns and added a two-point conversion to take a 21-18 lead with 7:10 remaining. NFL Tickets
Oakland tied the game with 3:45 left, but Chicago quarterback Kordell Stewart led the team on a final drive from the Bears' 27 to the Oakland 30. Paul Edinger kicked a 48-yard field goal on the last play of the game to cap the improbable rally.
``It builds our confidence that we can win now, instead of having everybody saying 0-16,'' Edinger said. ``We never believed that in the first place, but it feels good for all of us.'' NFL Tickets
New Orleans and Chicago have split 20 all-time meetings, with four of the last five meetings being decided by six points or fewer.