Joe's Gameday Recap: Saints 30, Bears 13

Oh what a let-down that was. In their second game, the Chicago Bears managed to flat-line against the Saints, getting their quarterback Jay-Roughed in the process. Chicago’s offense held serve with the high-powered offense for about a half, and then Sean Payton let loose the entire playbook, taking the Bear defense to school like a game of Madden.

It was clear early on that the Bears were going to have issues with the Saints’ blitzes as Cutler was knocked to the ground often. Still, the Bears got on the board first thanks to a lengthy drive that was luckily extended by two questionable penalties on the Saints, capped off with a pass to Sanzenbacher in the endzone. After that it was field goal city for the Bears, who got absolutely nothing going on offense aside from Matt Forte’s receiving yardage. It started up front, with a Lance Louis-less offensive line that got taken advantage of all game long. Gabe Carimi going down in the first half was just a sign of more hits to come. The Saints managed double-digit hits on Cutler, which doesn’t include the six sacks of the Bear QB, one of which resulted in a fumble. Cutler was obviously and understandably frustrated as the game drew on as his receivers dropped several passes and his line gave no resistance to the Saint defenders. I would have been furious too with the collection of crap that surrounded him. No one should question Cutler’s toughness after the beating he took today. He’s got idiots on the offensive line and a madcap in a booth calling plays. How mad would you be?

The Saints finally got their offense in gear in the second quarter with a 79-yard pass to Devery Henderson, exploiting Major Wright and Chris Conte after Brandon Meriweather headed to the sidelines to get his ankle re-taped. Chicago never found their way back into the game, even if the scoreboard showed otherwise. It was 16-13 early in the second half, but then the Saints started to gash the Bears on the ground and through the air. Tight end Jimmy Graham was especially annoying, find the creases in the cover-two. It wasn’t a horrific effort from the defense, but it was amplified by the offense’s sheer uselessness. Brees spread the ball to eight different receivers, but he targeted Graham and Darren Sproles the most, ensuring they made the most of their mis-matches. Tim Jennings made a fantastic play on third and one to force the Saints to settle for a field goal, but there were far more errors than successes. Lance Briggs was completely out of position on a goal-line play, almost ignoring Robert Meachem on the four yard scoring pass, putting the game pretty much out of reach. A late screen pass to Sproles sealed the win for New Orleans.

But let’s be serious. What really sealed the game was Martz’s ineffective play-calling and the dismal offensive line play. I’m not sure how many screen passes Martz called because I stopped counting at five. Too many seven-step drops, a key factor of the same plan that got him in trouble in 2010. False starts by the tackles, missed blocks, and injuries all contributed to the crappiness of Mike Tice’s squad. He’ll have his work cut out for him this week before getting the Packers’ blitz schemes.

So has everyone dove off the cliff yet? This team is obviously still a work in process. With all the offensive line injuries, we could be in for a few rough patches. Let’s just keep it together and hope Cutler stays on his feet.

Happy Jay Cutler Day!