Bears vs. Saints Gameday Live | 2025 NFL Week 7

Bears vs. Saints Gameday Live | 2025 NFL Week 7

The Saints have landed in the Windy City, ready to battle the Bears. Rain, wind, or worse. Two franchises in the middle of transformation. Two young quarterbacks with everything to prove. Spencer Rattler against Caleb Williams. Both just getting started. Both stepping into the spotlight. New eras are taking shape under offensive minds Kellen Moore and Ben Johnson. Each crafting a new identity for their teams. But this clash, it runs deeper because on the other side stands a familiar face. Dennis Allen, the Saint’s former head coach, now calling the shots as Chicago’s defensive commander. Old ties, new rivalries, grit, weather, and a fight for victory. Who has the edge? We break it all down right now. Welcome into Saints Game Day live here on New Orleans Saints.com. Alongside Saints legend Tyrone Hughes, I’m Aaron Summers. The Saints kick things off in Chicago Soldier Field 12:00. You can watch the game on Fox. And yeah, it is going to be an interesting matchup because we’ve been watching the weather. We’ve been talking about the storylines, but overall, if you’ve been in the building, it does not feel like the Saints team is one and five going into this matchup under new head coach Kellen Moore. Tyrone, what have you seen from where this team is at? Well, Erin, what I’ve seen is a great young team that’s competing. Um, everybody’s talking about, you know, they obviously the fans want the wins, but to me they have far ex uh ex exceeded my expectations on the the way they played against Seattle and got blown up. That’s what I expected with this team the entire year. However, Spencer Rattler has stepped up. Uh, the offensive guys have stepped up and the defense has definitely stepped up and kept them at least in the game. And every game they have competed and have been and has been basically in the game. They just haven’t been able to finish it. And the reason is because they’re young and they’re rookies. I mean, I tell people all the time, it takes guys about three to four years to really start understanding the NFL. And what you’re seeing right now, these guys are doing a great job. They’re young, the coaches are young, so everybody’s really learning at the same time. But the way they’ve competed and and you see all of these mistakes, the penalties, what those are rookie mistakes. I think in year two, three down the line, you’re not going to see those mistakes. And obviously, uh they’ll start drafting more guys to see what their needs are. And you’re going to have a better team, but right now, I mean, I think they’re doing great. Quarterback Spencer Rler is in year two. He got thrown into the fire early last season. A lot of different elements that he had to deal with there, but this year, you’ve seen him grow every single game. different elements of his game have been added. The deep ball, you see him scrambling, the decision making, how quickly he gets rid of the ball. What have you seen from him in the way that he has stepped up here, second year as a starter? I mean, I think I see a lot of maturation. I didn’t like the fact that they threw him to the wolves last year uh in those situations without having the starters around him. And I think we can see now having at least working with starters and having some protection what his abilities are and what his future can be. Uh he’s doing a great job. He’s stepping up in the pocket. He’s running when he needs to. Uh and I think that was one of the things that they saw last year is that obviously he has the capability of being able to escape the pocket, but now you’re seeing him doing it when he has to, but also his arm has been carrying the team and he’s been making some great passes and some great throws. We just got to get the guys to hold on to some of them. But he’s definitely not the reason we’re losing. Um, he’s done great. He’s going to be great. Uh, I even said when they when they drafted him, I think he could be the future franchise player. Uh, he just needed some time. Mhm. We are in the Windy City and it is windy in Chicago. Oh, I know. The rain was coming down pretty heavily uh about an hour ago. There was big puddles on the field. They had the tarp out, but it’s supposed to stop raining once the game starts. It’s going to be a wet field regardless of that. the wind is going to be an element. How does that affect the game plan here? Anytime you play outdoors, it’s going to affect um the way the ball moves, whether that’s throwing it from the quarterback on the deep balls or punt returns, kickoff returns. I played at Soldier Field when I was there with the Shook with Bears and I can tell you it’s it’s and you’re getting that win. It’s as great as that they’re not playing in late October or early November where you’re getting that win coming off of Lake Michigan. But obviously um I think this is a situation where the equipment guys are going or the guys are going to go out early, test the field, see what type of spikes or clicks they’re going to need, how that’s going to affect with um how wet the field is. And then also again having that win out there is going to have a lot to do with how they um change their game plan as far as passing. But a lot of this is going to be known uh in pregame. Coming into this game, I think a lot of people had it circled because it was where Dennis Allen ended up after he was let go last season. He is a defensive coordinator there. Players have downplayed it. You know, there is is a lot of players, coaches moving around and you you see it a lot in the NFL, but are there any added emotions to this one? I think it’s added emotions to both sides, not just the Saints. I mean, obviously Dennis Allen wants to again he’s going to say it’s the next game up. That’s what you’re supposed to say. But deep down, he wants to beat he wants to beat the Saints and he wants his defense to excel at beating the Saints. Uh player-wise, you know, hey, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to play and we want to see and beat our old coach, but at the end before the game, we’re going to be hugging. Uh after the game, we’re going to be hugging, but during the game, it it’s competition. Well, I was able to catch up with Saints head coach Kellen Moore before they headed up to Chicago. his thoughts on this matchup and what they need to do to get the win. Coach, we’re looking forward to the Bears this weekend. You’ve been out here practicing on the outdoor field getting in on the grass. How’s it been? Yeah, it’s been great. It’s been great to be outside. It’s beautiful weather down here this time of year and so uh it’s been great for our guys to be on grass, get ready for this game. When you look at the Bears and new coach Ben Johnson, what do you see in their offense? Yeah, they’re an offense that’s getting better and better each week and you can see their confidence growing. Uh they’re doing a good job of protecting the football and still making explosive plays and they have the ability to run and throw in a lot of mixed down situations. They have had a lot of takeaways of late. Done very well the last three games winning that turnover margin. What do you guys need to do to make sure that you guys are the ones that come up on top of that battle? Yeah, this is a momentum thing. You know, these teams that create turnovers and they’re they’re doing an excellent job. You know, the last three games have created so many turnovers and it’s had a huge impact. It’s ultimate won them a lot of these games and so we got to do a great job protecting it and our defense has some opportunities. We got a chance to rebound and uh steal a couple more as well. Offensively, second year for Caleb Williams doing a good job leading the team, but he has some good weapons as well. What’s the main focus in limiting what they do? Yeah, they got a good really good perimeter. I think he’s just got to do an excellent job of covering him up, not giving them free opportunities. And then understand the scrambled element of Caleb’s game that, you know, when he does get covered up, he’s going to scramble. He’s going to make some plays and he’s done that tremendously for his entire career. On the other side, defensively, they’re one of the worst teams in the league against the run. How can you take advantage of that weakness? I think you got to put yourself in position that allows you to run the football. Uh stay ahead of the chains, run it efficiently on first and second down. Uh we just got to do a really good job. Just continue to extend drives. What would you like to see from Kendra Miller as he continues to take steps forward in his career? Yeah, he’s just doing an awesome job. I think, you know, the combination of Kendra and Alvin is a really awesome combo for us right now. He’s doing an excellent job and we have all the confidence in the world of him. Got a couple pieces back last week. Starting offensive line, had a full game together. How does that help this offense work at the best level? Yeah, I think continuity is huge at the offensive line. Those guys have to work together, uh, you know, uh, in a ton of different ways in every aspect of this game. And so, uh, those guys need to spend time together, invest in it, and I think, uh, we got a really good group that if they can stick together, they’ll have a ton of success out there. Somebody that I noticed often during the last game was Chase Young. He seemed to enjoy being back on the field. What does he add to the defense? Yeah, Chase’s energy is contagious. Uh, everyone everyone embraces it. He’s done an excellent job. He’s really close to making some big time plays last week and we have all the confidence he’s going to do it this week. Been in some close games here, coach. So, how much does closing them out, getting the win start with how you start the game? Yeah, no question. I think we talked about uh the game, the plays that can impact the game can happen any way from the first quarter all the way through the fourth and beyond. And so, we got to take advantage of every opportunity we have. All right. Got to ask you, you’re going to Chicago. You deep dish guy. A little more New York style, but I’ll embrace the Chicago every once in a while. All right. Thanks, coach. All right. Coach Moore, a New York style pizza guy, not deep dish. I mean, you got to have it when you’re in Chicago, though. You got to have it in Chicago, just like you got to have uh the one in New York. So, just depends on where you’re at. And you got to have gumbo when you come to New Orleans. Exactly. They talked a little bit about the run game or coach Moore did and how the dynamic between Alvin Chimera and Kendry Miller is working. It it’s nice to see dual backs back here in New Orleans. It does because it takes a lot of pressure off of Alvin. And what happens is we’ve always needed that big whether that’s Taesm Hill or or or um Kre Miller. We need that big bruising back to run inside and and basically pound against the defense to where when Alvin comes in now, he’s a little bit more finesse and he doesn’t have to run between the tackles because we see over his career. I mean, he’s getting a little older, but he’s still a good a good player running back, so he can’t be doing all of those carries in between the tackles. Couple players coming back from injury. You mentioned Taesm Hill, Chase Young getting back for the first time last game. How would you like to see him continue to make an impact on the game? And again, last week I think he was an impact. He didn’t have it statwise, so nobody’s going to really see what he did, but he did have an impact on the game. And I think it’s just something where hopefully as he continue to be healthy and continue to play, get back into the rhythm because he missed what I think was three or four games. Uh it’s still going to take him some time to get back into game game shape. All right. Well, let’s throw it to Scott Shanley. He’s going to give us his matchups to watch in this one for the Saints in Chicago. All right. Let’s take a look at the Saints Bears match up today in Soldier Field and find out where the key matchups are and where the advantage is lie for both teams. I think obviously when you look at the Bears the the number one advantage they have is how much they’ve taken the football away. Number one in the NFL in takeaways. So Dennis Allen has brought that aggressive mindset stripping the football intercepting the football taking that football away giving the ball back to them offensively. And they’re also top five in the NFL in third down defense only allowing 30% conversion rate on third down. They’re getting teams into third and long. So, they’ve been doing a really good job defensively of giving their offense an advantage every single week with with getting them the football back. Bears offensively, you look at Caleb Williams, he has not yet taken that big jump a lot of people thought he would take, but he’s been playing really good, consistent football. DeAndre Swift has been a really good running back running the football for the Bears. But I think the key player offensively for the Bears is Roma Dunier. Young wide receiver. Him and Caleb Williams are on the same page. They’ve really developed good chemistry together. And Roma leads the league on 15 yards or more receptions on third down. So he’s a big play guy, especially on third down. And you look for that only to go up with DJ Moore’s injury status. We’ll see how much he plays today, whether or not he plays. He’s been banged up since the last game. And those targets obviously will go to Rome or Lovelin, the tight end. So you have to watch for those two players offensively. But for the Saints offensively versus the Bears defense, I really like the amount of motioning the Saints are using offensively. They’re fifth in the league in the amount of pre- snap motion. The Bears, however, they are dead last in the NFL when teams motion. They’re getting up seven yards per play to pre- snap motion. What that tells you is maybe there’s some eye discipline problems defensively for the Bears. Guys getting confused and that’s why offenses like to use that motion. It changes guys responsibilities at the last second. So, there’s some confusion going on there based on the the what the numbers are telling you. The Bears really struggle against pre- snap motion. And then you look at the yards per play the Bears are giving up. They’re also near the bottom and just yards per play. They’re giving up explosive play. So, it’s a little bit of feast or famine. They’re taking the football away or they’re giving up big plays. You like Shahed vertically in the deep game. Obviously, last week, Chris opened the game up with a with a deep ball. So, I look for the Saints to be a little more aggressive vertically against this Bears defense because of the amount of of big plays they’ve been giving up this year. And then just running the football, you you have the advantage to run the football against this Bears defense. Dennis Allen has always liked nickel defense, taking that bigger linebacker off the field, putting a smaller DB on the field. And what that does, it gets more speed on the field and it’s good for the passing game, but it’s hard to stop the running game when you have those lighter bodies in the box. So, I look for the Saints maybe to bring Foster and Tase and get some bigger bodies on the field, wear down this Bears defensive front, especially when they’re in that nickel front. I think those are the key advantage of the Saints getting this win today on the road in Soldier Field. That was Scott Shanley breaking down the Bears for us, what he thinks the Saints need to do. When you look at that Bears defense, I mean, he said it, the takeaways stand out top of the league in take and takeaways, forced turnovers, and they’re not just interceptions. They are going after ball carriers, and they are punching balls out, forcing fumbles. What do the Saints have to do to make sure that they don’t turn it over and they don’t give the ball away? And again, that everybody wants to know how to stop turnovers or how how to stop from turning fumbling the ball or throwing. Well, interceptions is a given, but how to stop fumbles. You can’t. I mean, if you focus on it, then you’re gonna fumble more. It’s just a matter of going into practice, making sure you protect the ball. A lot of guys wear these sleeves where those sleeves could actually help cause the fumble. But one of the things I see today more so than ever is uh guys are on the defensive side, regardless of the teams, they’re they’re going after the ball. Yeah. Um and to the detriment sometimes because they’re willing to give up longer runs because they’re still instead of making the tackle, they’re trying to knock the ball out or punch it out or cause a fumble. So, I mean, I think defensively teams across the league have really expressed it, but running backs, receivers, um, quarterbacks when they’re running, they just have to be more conscious of, you know, holding on to the ball and protecting it. Obviously, it’s not something that they’re trying to do, but it happens. When you look at this game and the matchups here, the Saints want to start faster. They have had opportunities throughout games to start with a lead. How key is that for them this one? is really key for them, especially against this defense when you’re saying that when you’re saying that the defense has been having problems with stopping the run. I think that’s one of the best things that the Saints can do, especially with having the starting offensive line that they have and everybody being intact. That’s their thing. They can run the ball. We got Alvin, we got Kendre Miller. Run the ball, establish that, then that’s going to open up the deep passes off of play actions or even like he’s saying with pre- snap motions or whatever, they’ve been kind of getting confu confused. So, you have to play to all of that, but you have to start off early. I mean, when you look at the Saints, I think the end of the second half, end of the first half, and the end of the games, they’ve been right in it, and they’ve been having drives, but somewhere early on in both on both side, both halves, they’re they’re killing themselves with penalties and keeping staying behind the chain. So, they just basically have to start off early and uh be more consistent. And I think again, dealing with a lot of young guys, they’re learning as the as time goes on. Yeah. Well, in establishing that run game, hopefully they have the right shoes on, the cleats and everything with the muds going. Must that’s going to be a must today. So, uh hopefully they got the right cleats. The equipment guys have them in in in in place. And I hope Cam uh I know he said he didn’t, but I hope he was in uh Kell Moore’s ear and Dusm’s ear all week long telling them what what defenses uh Dennis likes to run because loyalty is out the door now. Yeah. Okay, we’re gonna bring Stan Verrett in now. get his recipe for success in this one so he can get the win in Chicago. The Saints head to Chicago Sunday looking for their first road win of the season. Let’s take a look at the recipe for success for that game. It begins with a better start on defense. Opponents have scored touchdowns on their first two drives in each of the Saints last four games and as a result their point differential is minus 49. Now, that’s historically bad. It’s the second worst in the NFL since 2000. The Bears have made a habit of starting quickly. They’re averaging seven and a half first quarter points. That’s good for third in the NFL so far this season. Getting behind early can affect the offensive game plan and put the Saints in passing situations early in games much more than they’d like to be. And the defense has played much better once they’ve gotten into the flow of games. So getting early stops against the Bears has to be an important part of the game plan this week. The second ingredient is protecting the ball. The Bears have already had their bye-week, so they played only five games, while most NFL teams have already played six. Still, Chicago has 12 takeaways, good for second in the NFL. And that total includes eight interceptions, also good for second in the NFL. Dennis Allen’s defense turned three takeaways into 13 points against the Commanders on Monday night, and they kicked a game-winning field goal in the final seconds after a late fumble recovery. The Saints, meanwhile, missed out on a chance for a game-winning drive against the Patriots due to a late fumble. So, those plays decide games. Saints have to protect the ball better if they’re going to beat the Bears in Chicago on Sunday. They also have to make a priority of getting the ball into the end zone, which has been a recurring theme so far this season. The Saints offense is averaging 1.5 touchdowns per game. That’s 30th in the NFL, and they’re also 29th in red zone touchdown percentage. Saints should be able to run the ball against the Bears defense. They’re giving up 5.7 yards per carry and 156 yards per game on the ground. Those are both second to last in the NFL. But in the red zone, the Saints may want to consider throwing the ball more. The Bears have given up nine red zone touchdowns through the air. That’s tied for the fourth most in the NFL. Saints will have to score points if they’re going to beat the Bears. Chicago has scored at least 21 points in every game this season, and they’re the only team in the NFL that’s done that. Aaron, back to you. [Music] Hopefully the Saints are the ones that are forcing the takeaways in this one because that’s how they got the win against the Giants. We need to do it again so we get the win in Chicago. San Verrett, I I don’t know. He must have the most like widespread rolodex and list of people that he knows because he brings in a new celebrity guest every single week. And this week he caught up with Wendell Pierce. You ever watch The Wire? I know Wendle very well. There we go. He’s the home he’s the hometown kid, so he is I know him very well. All right. Well, Stan was able to catch up with him. They reminisce about the Saints fandom. All right. Thanks, guys. Joining us now on Saints Game Day Live, the star of Ellsw, a lifelong Saints fan and the pride of Punch a Train Park. Yes, my man Wend Pierce. Great to see you, man. How’s everything? Everything’s going great, man. Uh, as I mentioned, lifelong Saints fan. take us back to your first memories of being a Saints fan growing up. I uh remember on Sundays parking the car at my grandmother’s and walking across Clayborn Avenue to two-lane stadium and wow had way back. We had nose blade seats. I I remember Archie Manny running around. You know, it was fun. I didn’t know that he was being chased. One of my earliest memories was I was there when um when Tom Dempsey kicked the longest field goal which see like it’s nothing nowadays but 63 yards against the Detroit Lions. I’ll never forget and they lined up for the the kick and my father said, “Oh, this is crazy. Come on, let’s go beat the travel.” So we started walking and I remember looking up and seeing through the vom just the ball go by. Yeah. And then the next thing I knew I thought an earthquake had happened because the stadium was rocking when it went through everybody cheer and we ran up the V and got to see the famous, you know, uh uh uh huddle on the field where everybody ran from the sidelines. Congrat Congratulations Tom Dempsey. It was great man. That’s my earliest Saints memory. All right, rebuilding season right now. Uh, Saints one and five and and building under under Kell Moore. How are you feeling about things so far? You know, man, it’s so funny. I the the record does not reflect the way I feel about this team. I love the reasoning of our head coach. I love the way he’s working. He’s developing people. Um, and that that that gives Rattler a chance to just be settled and be thoughtful. I think we’re going to win this game. I I think I would put I put Rattler above uh Caleb Williams at this point. He’s he’s inconsistent where I feel as though Rattler is consistent, you know, and we just got to figure out our red zone offense and I think we’ll be fine. I I love talking to longtime Saints fans about this because it seems like everybody has a great story. Where were you for the Super Bowl after the 09 season? I was in Miami. Of course you were. I was in Miami. But two moments I’ll never forget. Okay. Uh long lines. Mhm. At the bathroom. Uh after after the halftime show, I wanted to see the who. If I’m here at the Super Bowl, I’m going to see the who. Okay. The who played. I go to the bathroom, you know, and I come back out. I’m waiting to see the great Saints defense. How can we get the ball? I missed the onside kick. Oh, no. I thought you saw it. Okay. You missed it. I did not see it, man. I did not see it. I cannot believe you’re the This is the first time I’m admitting to it, you know. Okay. All right. Breaking news here. I remember crying at the end, you know, I see Porter running down the field pointing like that and I remember being in tears and I was on the Colts side, you know, very few Saints fans around me and there’s the little kid, I can see him right now looking up at me saying, “What is this grown man crying about?” And I remember looking down at him saying, “One day, kid, you’ll understand this.” I I literally said that to him and looking at the way the Indianapolis Colts are playing this year, that kid may be crying at the Super Bowl in San Francisco. Tears of joy, you know. Yeah. Colts off to a good start this season. Saints at 1 and5, but Windows already called it a win over the Bears. My man, we appreciate you joining us on Saints Game Day Live. Check out Wendle on Ellsw CBS Thursday 9 central time. That’s WWL Channel 4 in New Orleans. Wend, we appreciate you taking the time. Thank you, man. We just need nine wins. 10, we’re in. 10, we’re in. We could do it. We’re going to go on a run right now. I love his outlook on things here. He said, “Just nine more wins. We’re going to go on a run.” And I’m all about that. Wendle is a hometown staple. Everybody knows Wendle Pierce. But Wendle, how did you miss the ambush? You got to get out of that bathroom. At least he was there for the win though. I’m sure that was a great game to be at. Taking a look at the list of inactives for the Saints who is in and out. It is mostly healthy scratches in this one. The only player that we were watching was cornerback Isaac Yadam. He just returned this week from a hamstring injury. Was able to practice in full on Friday, but just not quite ready to jump in to the game yet. So, it will be rookie quarterback Quincy Riley who continues to start in his spot. Again, these young players getting some run. They’re getting some runs uh early and again that’s learning throwing throw throwing them in the game right now. You got to learn. I mean a lot of these guys like I said it takes them about three or four years to start understanding the game. But a lot of times you just out there being an athlete and using what you have and what you’ve learned uh trying to get understanding from practices and um what you’re going to go through. But once you’re out on that field really and truly all of that kind of goes out the window. You’re just playing. Yeah. Well, I know you played for both the Bears and the Saints, but today Oh, definitely the Saints. We’re a Saints fan, right? Saints fans. Oh, definitely. I didn’t have a good experience with one stat, so yeah, I’m always going to be a Saints fan. Good. We love that. Well, thank you so much for joining me, Tyrone. It’s been awesome having you on the pregame show again. The Saints taking on the Bears 12:00 on Fox. And don’t forget to come right back here, new Orleans.com, for our postgame show. Scott Shanley will join me to break this entire game down. So have fun for Tyrone Hughes. I’m Erin Summers. Enjoy the game.

LIVE: Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints Week 7 pregame news, analysis, and injury updates with Stan Verrett, Tyrone Hughes, & Erin Summers plus special guests on Saints Gameday Live presented by Cutwater. Saints at Bears Live Game Center: https://www.neworleanssaints.com/game-day/2025/reg-week7/bears-vs-saints/ 📺 Noon CT on FOX.
#saints #nfl #neworleanssaints

🔔 Subscribe to the New Orleans Saints YT Channel: https://bit.ly/2VDAItA

▶ For more Saints action:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/

▶ Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/neworleanssaints

▶ Follow us on Twitter:
Tweets by Saints

▶ Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/saints

▶ Find us on Snapchat:
https://www.snapchat.com/add/saints

▶ Get the App:
http://apps.yinzcam.com/nfl/no

*** From New Orleans Saints.com ***

📰 Latest Saints News:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/

📻 Latest Saints Audio:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/audio/

📷 Latest Saints Photos:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/photos/

**************************************
📅 New Orleans Saints Schedule:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/schedule/

💪 New Orleans Saints Roster:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/players-roster/

🏥 Weekly Injury Report
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/injury-report/

📊 New Orleans Saints Stats:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/stats/

⚜️ New Orleans Saints History:
https://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/history