With Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season in the books, the New Orleans Saints will look to get into the win column with a Sunday afternoon matchup with the defending NFC North Champion Chicago Bears in the Superdome.

Drew Brees and company face a tall order in the form of an always consistent Chicago defense. The Bears were especially impressive last week, dismantling the Atlanta Falcons 30-12. With ten days to prepare, however, Sean Payton should have his offense ready to succeed. How will the offensive game plan look for New Orleans as they prepare to face a very good Chicago team?

PASS OFFENSE

If there is any weakness in the Bears’ defensive unit, it might be the secondary. Although the Bears limited the Falcons to 12 points, Matt Ryan was still able to throw for 319 yards. The Bears secondary comes into Sunday’s matchup a little nicked up; S Chris Harris is expected to miss the game with a hamstring injury.

Newly acquired S Brandon Meriweather is certain to see some action after getting some 1st team reps during Wednesday’s practice. The former Miami Hurricane and New England Patriot is extremely talented (he was a Pro Bowl selection in 2009 and 2010), but his understanding of Lovie Smith’s defense may serve as a disadvantage on Sunday.

The Saints, however, come into Sunday’s contest thin at wide receiver. Marques Colston broke his collarbone at Green Bay, and will not be available for the next few weeks. Lance Moore is listed as questionable with a sore groin. Look for Sean Payton to rely more on the big play threat of Robert Meachem. Devery Henderson will have to match last week’s impressive performance in order to pick up the slack.

Payton will also have Darren Sproles more involved in the passing game after posting impressive numbers against the Packers. His ability to receive passes out of the backfield allows for more flexibility in Sean Payton’s offensive game plan. TE Jimmy Graham will also need to utilize his size and speed to make a difference in the passing game. Look for Graham to be more of a red zone threat now that Marques Colston is not available.

RUN OFFENSE

Mark Ingram looked decent last week against Green Bay (minus the last play of the game, of course). His ability to be effective will be paramount to the Saints offensive output. The Bears front seven is one of the best units in the league, and the Bears’ run defense was impressive last year, only allowing 90.1 rushing yards per game.

Last week, Falcons running back Michael Turner was able to post 100 yards on 10 carries, which is very impressive. Nonetheless, Atlanta played from behind for pretty much the entire game, and the running game was quickly abandoned. The Bears look to apply the same philosophy to the Saints.

New Orleans must be able to establish a legitimate running game early. If not, Chicago will play in more 4 to 5 defensive back sets, thus limiting the passing game as well. Sean Payton will spread the wealth and allow for the entire stable of running backs to get involved. Ingram, however, expects to be the main runner after getting the start at Green Bay. Darren Sproles will also get more carries out of the backfield after a great performance last week.  A good ground game will also set up the pass by creating more opportunities to run play action passes down the field.

Also look for the Saints to use the passing game to set up the run. If Chicago is continually getting burned by the Saints receiving corps, New Orleans will take advantage by running more draw plays. The over-aggressiveness of Chicago will work in favor of New Orleans, and Ingram, Sproles, and Thomas could have a huge day.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Bears DE Julius Peppers vs. Saints OT Jermon Bushrod will be the most important matchup of the game. Peppers, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, is a huge difference maker along the Bears defensive line, and maybe the best defensive end in the NFL. Bushrod, who has struggled at times against elite defensive ends, will have a tall task ahead of him.

If he struggles early, look for Sean Payton to help Bushrod by chipping with either a tight end or an extra offensive tackle; Payton did this some last week with backup OT Charles Brown. The ability to keep Brees off of the Superdome floor will be of the utmost importance to New Orleans if the Saints want to emerge victorious on Sunday.