The Saints pass rush will look to continue their success getting to the quarterback when they face Jay Cutler today.
I find myself playing the what if game very often. I talked about it before a few weeks ago and now I’m going to do it again. If someone had told you that the Saints defense would would be ranked 6th in the NFL through the first four games allowing 304.5 yards per game, how would you have reacted? What if someone then had told you that the Saints defense would be ranked 5th in the NFL in scoring, allowing a jaw-dropping 13.8 points per game? You probably would’ve laughed, right? I thought the defense would be much better, but this has honestly been astonishing.
Chicago’s offense has been fairly similar in terms of production to last year. They are tied for 13th in the NFL with an average of 352.3 yards per game. New head coach, Marc Trestman is an offensive guru who comes from the Canadian Football League. His offense is much different than the offense typically seen from Chicago. The Bears have always been a smash-mouth, run down your throat type of offense, but not any more. Trestman’s offense is a more pass happy offense, which puts a lot of pressue on the turnover-prone Jay Cutler.
Pass Defense
The Saints pass defense comes in to Week 5 ranked 5th in the NFL, allowing 192.3 yards per game. They have truly played outstanding. The secondary has played pretty well, but the pass rush is what has made the biggest difference in the defensive turnaround. Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette have led a furious pass rush that has yielded 12 sacks so far, which is tied for 11th in the NFL. Jordan and Galette have 4 and 3 sacks each, respectively. Even when they are not dropping the quarterback for a sack, they are getting in his face and causing missed throws. After struggling to force turnovers last year, the Saints are tied for 3rd in the NFL in interceptions.
Jay Cutler leads a 23rd ranked passing unit with 277.8 yards per game. Cutler is having a very Cutler-like season so far, producing a 64.2 completion percentage. He has thrown 8 touchdowns, but has 6 interceptions to go with him. There’s no surprise that Brandon Marshall leads the team in receiving with his 27 catches for 348 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Bears added athletic tight-end Martellus Bennett in the off-season and he’s been a big factor so far. His 225 yards receiving are second on the team, while he leads Chicago in touchdown receptions with 3. Matt Forte is one of the best “out of the backfield” running backs that you’ll find in the NFL. Cutler has completed 23 of his 26 targets to him, while Forte has gained 1/3 of his total yardage out of the backfield. Chicago’s offensive line is nothing to write home about, but they’ve done a much better job of keeping Cutler upright this season. They’ve only allowed 6 sacks on their quarterback so far this year. Their unit is led by former Saint Jermon Bushrod, who left New Orleans this past off-season to bolt to Chicago for a 5 year, $36 million dollar contract.
It is key that the Saints get to Jay Cutler early today. He is a quarterback that is easily rattled, so a few sacks and/or turnovers would certainly mess with his psyche. New Orleans did just that when these teams played back in 2011 and it proved to be effective. Roman Harper will miss his 3rd straight game today, but the Saints haven’t skipped a beat since he’s been out. Keenan Lewis’ health is something to watch, as he is questionable to play with a hip injury sustained in Monday’s game. Barring a setback, he should play, considering he came back in to the game on Monday with a big 4th quarter lead. If he does play, he’ll likely match-up on Brandon Marshall. It’s possible the Saints will elect to put Greer on him if they’d rather someone at 100% health covering the big wide receiver. Kenny Vaccaro could be the wild card to help slow down the Bears offense, seeing as he is the perfect type of player to watch Matt Forte out of the backfield. He’ll also likely see a lot of Martellus Bennett. Watch the match-up on the left side of the Bears offensive line, as Junior Galette will look to win the battle against his former teammate.
Rush Defense
The Saints are allowing 112.3 yards per game on the ground, which ranks them 22nd in the league. I’ve pointed out before how part of that number is a little deceiving, with a few big chunks of yardage coming on big plays. Last week against Miami, running back Lamar Miller had consistent success against the Saints run defense in the 1st half. The Dolphins were forced to abandon the run when they fell behind by multiple scores midway through the 3rd quarter. As usual, middle linebacker Curtis Lofton has been the main stopgap for the Saints on the run, with a team leading 26 tackles.
Matt Forte is enjoying Marc Trestman’s dynamic offense thus far, boasting a 4.2 yards per carry average. Any time an NFL running-back averages over 4 yards per carry, it’s pretty impressive, but Forte has done it while averaging 17 carries a game. He’s producing right at 80 yards per game. The Bears, as a team, are ranked 16th in the NFL with 111.5 yards a game on the ground.
The two main players that the Saints likely spent most of their time keying on this week in practice are Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall. Personally, I believe that slowing those two down and getting two Jay Cutler are the main two keys to another successful game from the defense. Forte and Marshall are too good of players to be completely shut down, but if the Saints can keep them out of the end-zone and under 100 yards or so, they shouldn’t have much trouble stopping this offense. New Orleans’ offense can play a big hand in that matter if they can get out to an early lead. We saw last week how a decent lead played a big role in stopping the opposing team’s running game, so if the Saints can get out to a head start, Forte will be easier to slow down.
Players to Watch
Junior Galette
Personally, I can’t wait to watch Galette line up across from Jermon Bushrod. Galette is one of the best young, up-and-coming pass rushers in the NFL, while Bushrod cashed in for a big pay day this off-season. While the left-tackle is certainly talented, you have to wonder if the coaches saw him as much less valuable than what Chicago was offering. Cam Jordan occasionally plays from the right defensive end position, so keep an eye out for his plays vs. Bushrod as well.
Kenny Vaccaro
I am very intrigued at the thought of Vaccaro covering Martellus Bennett. Bennett is very athletic and should be a very good challenge for the rookie safety. I also am anticipating Vaccaro to cover Matt Forte out of the backfield. Once again, it’s a great challenge for the young man, but his dynamic abilities are exactly what the Saints drafted him for.
Corner-back X Matched Up on Brandon Marshall
If not for Lewis’ injury questions, it would be safe to assume he’d be on Marshall throughout the day. First off, we have to see if Lewis does end up playing today. Second, if he does play, watch and see if he matches up on the Bears #1 wide-receiver. If not, Jabari Greer will play that role, which he is no stranger to. Keep an eye out for that match-up, because like I said, slowing down Marshall will be huge.
Who Dat?!
