New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton hasn’t just come back in 2013 to roam the sidelines. He’s come back to have his team dominate and be recognized as Super Bowl contenders. Owners of an undefeated 4-0 record and some of the NFL’s best top-to-bottom rankings, the Saints head to Soldier Field today at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific to take on a 3-1 Chicago Bears team that’s statistically outmatched. But statistics be damned in this one, as the pundits predict a Bears will put up a fight that you’ll want to see live on FOX or watch Saints vs Bears online free streaming live using one of several different methods. Chicago wants nothing more than to send New Orleans home singing the blues. And some experts think they will.
Nobody has minced words when it comes to the Saints’ dominance so far in the 2013 NFL season. Even the NFL’s own pundits said “the 2013 Saints are ready for prime time. Their 38-17 destruction of the previously undefeated Miami Dolphins showed that Payton’s crew once again is among the NFL’s elite. The Saints reduced the Dolphins to bit players in a revival show.” That’s pretty high praise for a team that last year set an NFL record for most yards given up by a defense (7,042 yards) and went 7-9.
But the praise this year is warranted. The Saints own the NFL’s sixth-ranked defense, second-ranked passing game, fourth-ranked offense, fourth-ranked total for yards per game (419.5), and eighth-ranked total for points per game (27). Not surprisingly, those gaudy stats have been anchored by a solid first four weeks from quarterback Drew Brees, who has gone 111-166 for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns. For context, that’s 40% more yards than the Bears’ Jay Cutler has thrown, and 20% more touchdowns.
Still, the Bears are favored over the Saints by ESPN’s experts, which will certainly give you extra motivation to watch Saints vs Bears online free streaming live via DirecTV with the NFL package. The Bears are favored over the Saints in part because the Saints have a three-game road skid against the Chicago Bears, in part because Saints QB Brees hasn’t been at his best in Chicago, completing just 55.7% of his passes and tossing seven TDs compared to six interceptions. Oh, and let’s not forget that Brees is 0-4 at Soldier Field.
Bears QB Jay Cutler completed a career-high 64.2 percent of his passes this season, so he’ll certainly do his best to make sure the Bears beat the Saints in spite of the statistical mismatch. With that said, Cutler’s had turnover issues to go with those completion percentages, having been intercepted six times and lost two fumbles. Fortunately for him, Chicago running back Matt Forte ranks among the NFL leaders with 120 yards per game. The last time these teams met, in 2011, Forte caught 10 passes for 117 yards, so he’s likely to try to do damage today using his hands as well as his feet.
In the latest NFL Power Rankings, Chicago dropped four spots to #9, while the Saints held steady at #4. Had Bears QB Cutler not unraveled last week, today’s 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific matchup between these two teams would be an incredibile 4 vs 5 showdown. Still, it’s certainly worth tuning into on FOX on your TV or trying to watch Saints vs Bears online free streaming live on DirecTV with the NFL Sunday Ticket package.
