GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 08: Olin Kreutz #50 of the New Orleans Saints prepares to snap the ball as Drew Brees #9 calls out the defense against the Green Bay Packers during the NFL opening season game at Lambeau Field on September 8, 2011 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints face off in another matchup between North and South, this one pairing a high-octane offense against a tough, opportunistic defense.
The New Orleans Saints face off against a second-straight NFC North opponent this week and may be in for another uphill battle. The Chicago Bears are coming off a 30-12 knockout of the Atlanta Falcons in which they forced three turnovers en route to the win. The Saints are still licking their wounds after coming up a yard short in their Thursday night opener against the Green Bay Packers.
The most intriguing matchup will be how the Saints offense performs against a Bears defense that hounded Matt Ryan into an interception and an egregious fumble. Drew Brees picked apart a solid Packers defense but the offensive line wasn't able to get much push up front, a bad sign against an arguably stiffer Bears defensive front. The Falcons had no answer for Julius Pepper who recorded two sacks and a tackle for loss, nor Brian Urlacher who had 10 tackles in addition to an interception and fumble returned for a touchdown.
On the other side of the coin, the Saints defense and the Bears offense are about equally unproven. The Saints were mechanically picked apart by Aaron Rodgers, who completed 77 percent of his passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Jay Cutler is no Aaron Rodgers, though he played well against the Falcons. He still threw a pick amongst his two touchdowns, however, and was sacked five times behind a perpetually questionable offensive line. How Cutler stands up to the pressure again this week could be the difference in the game.
For more on the Bears head over to Windy City Gridiron. For more on the Saints, check out Canal Street Chronicles. Follow all Week 2 action at SB Nation NFL.
Game Date/Time: Sunday, September; 1:00pm ET
Location: Superdome, New Orleans, LA
TV Schedule
FOX
TV Distribution Map: The506.com
Radio Schedule
Bears: WBBM-AM 780
Saints: WWL 870AM, 105.3FM
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