Believe it or not, either the reeling Chicago Bears or an NFC South team has to win Monday night's game.
Both the Bears and the New Orleans Saints are 5-8 heading into their Week 15 showdown, but the Saints will be playing for much more than Chicago. After all, the NFC South champion will not finish with a winning record (and will likely be under .500), so Drew Brees and Co. still control their own destiny.
First, though, they need to win in Chicago. Here is a look at the key information for Monday’s game.
Date: Monday, Dec. 15
Time (ET): 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live : WatchNOW
Key Matchup: Saints Offense vs. Bears Defense
Anytime a team’s strength goes up against an opponent’s overwhelming weakness, it is bound to shape the outcome of a game. That is exactly what will happen when the Saints offense takes the field against the Bears' abysmal defense.
Chicago is last in the league in scoring defense (29.1 points per game) and has allowed 377.8 yards a game. To make matters worse, it has allowed a combined 75 points in its last two contests, both losses, and it looks like a shell of its mediocre self from earlier in the season.
Matt Bowen of Bleacher Report and the Chicago Tribune noted that Chicago needs to focus on rebuilding that struggling defense in the postseason:
Brees tried to make it seem like Chicago will be a challenge, but the fact that he called the defense "simplistic" is about all you need to know. That simplistic defense has arguably been the worst unit in the league.
Fantasy owners in particular will be pleased with Brees' production Monday against Chicago’s 30th-ranked pass defense. Brees torched Chicago’s defense the last two times he faced it, with five touchdown passes, zero interceptions and 558 passing yards.
The Saints scored a measly 10 points in a Week 14 blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers, so a date with the Chicago defense could be exactly what they need. Brees threw for a season-worst 235 yards in that Carolina loss, although the fact that 235 yards is a season low is a testament to Brees’ overall consistency, even though his team has struggled throughout the season.
Losing record or not, New Orleans is third in the league in passing yards and ninth in rushing yards, and it should have a field day against Chicago. Between Mark Ingram, Jimmy Graham (who has been nonexistent recently), Marques Colston and Kenny Stills, someone is bound to go off against the miserable Bears defense.
