The New Orleans Saints defense was dominant in playoff win on the opening weekend of the NFL playoffs. The Saints fought a defensive battle against the Chicago Bears and come out on top. Drew Brees and the Saints offense struggled to gel in the return of several key players. Taking up the slack was the defense, holding the Bears out of the end zone until the very last play of the game. This Saints defense showed playoff poise and will look to build off of a dominant wild card performance.
New Orleans Saints Defense Dominant in Playoff Win
Drew Brees and the Saints offense struggled in the first half of this week’s playoff game. This could be expected due to the turmoil this offense has experienced lately. Michael Thomas has been on injured reserve but has only played two games with Brees so far this season. Thomas has missed significant time with injury and so has Brees. Then there’s Alvin Kamara. Kamara missed last week’s game due to covid issues but returned this week, albeit without practice. The offense looked a bit out of sync most of the game, but the team leaned on the defense for the win.
New Orleans Saints Dominate Chicago Bears
The New Orleans Saints defense held the Chicago Bears to 239 total yards in the wild card game. David Montgomery was shut down by the Saints defense. Montgomery was averaging over 100 yards per game in his last four. He had also scored five touchdowns in the Bears past four games. The Saints held him to 31 yards on 12 carries and zero touchdowns. The Bears only had 11 total first downs the entire game. Three of these first downs were contributed by the Bears rushing attack.
Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears passing game did not fare much better. Trubisky threw for 199 yards in the game and one touchdown. The touchdown came on the very last play of the game to Jimmy Graham. A meaningless touchdown for the game result. The Bears passing attack managed eight first downs against the Saints defense and secondary. Allen Robinson is regarded as one of the best receivers in football. Robinson was able to manage a meager 55 yards against the Saints defense.
New Orleans Saints Defense Lead Winning Effort
Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and Alvin Kamara took a half of football to find their rhythm. The Saints defense took it upon themselves to dominate the game in the wild card win. According to the NFL research, the nine points and 239 yards are the fewest ever allowed by the Saints in a playoff game. C.J. Gardner Johnson led the team in tackles with eight. Sheldon Rankins lead the defensive line. Rankins accounted for a sack and two quarterback hits. The defense led this team to victory and will look to continue that trend in the NFL playoff divisional round next week. A familiar foe awaits in Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A playoff face-off between Drew Brees and Tom Brady is something all NFL fans can look forward to. The Saints defense will again look to make the game about them and not the quarterbacks.
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