Bears Beat Saints 26–14: Progress, Grit, and a Glimpse of What’s Coming

The Bears finally put together a complete game — or close to it — in their 26–14 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It wasn’t perfect (because when is it ever?), but there was a lot to like from this one, especially on the defensive side of the ball and from a couple of young playmakers on offense.

Let’s get into it.

Early Mistakes Still Haunting This Team

It’s starting to sound like a broken record, but the early false starts and offensive line issues continue to hold this offense back. It’s frustrating because the Bears look like a team that wants to go full throttle — and then boom, false start, 1st and 15, momentum dead.

Cole Kmet, as much as I like the guy, continues to have issues in this area. He picked up another false start this week and later left the game with a back injury. Hopefully, it’s nothing long-term, but it’s something that has to get cleaned up.

Caleb Williams — Flashes of Brilliance, but Still Growing

Caleb’s early interception was just one of those moments — staring down the route and basically leading the defender to the ball. You could see it the whole way. But to his credit, he didn’t let that shake him.

Williams made some incredible plays escaping pressure, moving around in the pocket, and extending drives. Still, I think he needs to use his legs a bit more in those moments instead of always trying to force something downfield. I’m not saying turn into a full-on running quarterback, but even playing like Baker Mayfield — who uses his legs just enough to pick up smart yards — would take Caleb’s game to another level.

Defense Was Balling Out

This defense deserves a ton of credit. They were aggressive, disciplined, and flat-out nasty for most of the game. They held the Saints to just 44 rushing yards and 209 passing yards, only giving up two big plays to Chris Olave the entire afternoon.

Jaquan Brisker was everywhere — making key blitzes, getting pressure, and playing with fire. One of his pressures should’ve been a highlight play but instead was flagged for a ridiculous roughing-the-passer call. He made contact with the ball, not the QB’s head or body weight. Sometimes, you really have to wonder what these refs are looking at.

Tyrique Stevenson (who left with an injury) and Kyler Gordon both had solid outings, but how about Wright stepping up and grabbing an interception of his own? He’s showing real growth, and it’s exactly what this defense needs to keep its swagger up.

Run Game Finds Its Rhythm

This was the best the Bears’ run game has looked all year. Kyle Monangai had his breakout game — 81 yards on 13 carries and his first career rushing touchdown. He even added two catches for 13 yards. Between him and D’Andre Swift, who went off for 124 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown of his own, I think we can officially pump the brakes on any “Bears should trade for a new running back” talk.

Monangai looked confident, Swift looked explosive, and the combo gave Chicago balance that made life so much easier for Caleb.

Closing Drives Still Need Work

If there’s one big takeaway here, it’s this: the Bears could start blowing teams out if they’d finish more drives with touchdowns instead of settling for field goals. The offense moves the ball well between the 20s, but once they get close, everything seems to stall — penalties, predictable calls, or just missed opportunities.

That’s the next step for this team. Clean up the early mental mistakes, punch it in more often, and we’re not talking about nail-biters — we’re talking about statement wins.

Final Thoughts

This was a big step forward. The defense was dominant, the run game was electric, and Caleb continues to flash the kind of poise that tells you he’s going to be special once the details get ironed out.

It’s not all there yet, but it’s coming.

Bears 26, Saints 14 — and for the first time in a while, it feels like things are trending up.

Article by Ryan Burhite