Chicago Bears Score and Recap (Week 7): Bears 26, Saints 14 – Chicago Rushes for Over 200 Yards in Fourth Consecutive Win
The Bears raced out to an early three score lead against the Saints at Soldier Field Sunday afternoon. Then New Orleans began to chip away and things got uncomfortably close but Chicago created a couple of late turnovers to seal a fourth consecutive victory.
Montez Sweat created the first of four Saints turnovers when he strip-sacked quarterback Spencer Rattler and Gervon Dexter recovered it just outside the red zone. The Bears failed to turn the great field position into a touchdown and last week’s hero Jake Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal to make it 3-0.
New Orleans missed a field goal which led to 39-yard boot by Moody to increase the advantage to 6-0 in the second quarter. Nahshon Wright intercepted Rattler and Chicago took full advantage this time, with running back D’Andre Swift rushing for an 11-yard TD to give the home team a 13-0 lead.
The Bears got the ball back and drove down for a second consecutive touchdown, this time a 1-yard run by RB Kyle Monangai to increase the margin to 20-0. The Saints found a sudden burst of life in the final minute of the first half with a 91-yard drive that lasted only 46 seconds and ended with a 21-yard touchdown reception by WR Chris Olave that cut the deficit to 20-7.
New Orleans kept the momentum going into the first possession of the third quarter with Rattler connecting with Olave again for a 14-yard TD and it was just a 20-14 game. Chicago responded with a drive deep into Saints territory but settled for a 24-yard Moody field goal to restore a two-score lead.
The road team continued to move the ball but Rattler was intercepted two more times by safety Kevin Byard and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds preventing any further comeback. Moody hit his fourth field goal from 33-yards out to complete the scoring in the fourth quarter with the Bears winning 26-14. (Box score)
Why the Bears Won
They created four turnovers and ran the ball very well from the start of the game.
Key Moment
The Saints appeared to convert 3rd and 20 trailing 23-14 in the fourth quarter with TE Taysom Hill catching a pass and lateraling it to RB Alvin Kamara for a 30-yard gain. Head coach Ben Johnson challenged the call and it was ruled an illegal forward pass. New Orleans was forced to punt and the Bears added another field goal to put the game away.
Stats That Matter
- QB Caleb Williams threw for 172 yards and one interception with a solid but not spectacular performance Sunday.
- Another huge afternoon for Swift with 124 rushing yards and a touchdown.
- Monangai made it a one-two running back punch with 81 yards and his first career touchdown.
Bottom Line
The Bears ran for a total of 222 yards on Sunday, something that seemed highly unlikely with the performance of the running backs earlier in the season. This was not a pretty game by any sense of the imagination, but, they got the win against a bad team which has not always been a guarantee in the past for this franchise. Chicago began the 2024 season with an identical 4-2 record, however this feels like a different vibe with Ben Johnson at the helm. Let’s see if things will turn out differently this time.
Next Up
The Bears head to Baltimore next Sunday for a Week 8 matchup against the Ravens starting at 12:00pm CT on CBS.
