The Chicago Bears’ 26-23 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints was a game filled with missed opportunities, egregious mistakes and yet another offensive performance that left much to be desired.
Despite leading 13-3 near the end of the first half, the Saints climbed back and scored 20 unanswered points to take a 23-13 lead. The Bears needed to find a way to stay in the game and while they eventually forced overtime, they couldn’t rely on yet another defensive stop.
The loss wasn’t surprising, considering Saints head coach Sean Payton has now won six-straight contests between the two teams. But it was the way they lost that stood out. The Bears blew a big lead and had the chance to go up by 14 points near the half. They then turtled in the third quarter, totaling just 13 yards and gave momentum back to the Saints. It was a dogfight just to tie the game thanks to some key fourth-down conversions.
There was a lot to unpack from this game, from the start to the finish. Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s loss.