The New Orleans Saints strolled into the windy city without a game plan for their Week 7 battle with the Chicago Bears. They were beat in nearly every facet of the game:

                            Saints:             Bears:

Points:                    26                     14

Yards:                    253                  386

Time of Poss:      23:41               36:19

Turnovers:              4                        1

In a game with constant heavy rain and wind gusts between 15 and 30 mph, the game plan should be simple: Dominate the trenches, take care of the football, and get the ball out quickly to your playmakers. This was indeed the approach that the Bears took in this one. 

Chicago threw the ball 26 times and ran the ball 40 times. They dominated the trenches, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, and having two running backs rush for over 80 yards. They took care of the football, winning the turnover margin four to one. They also utilized short passing and played conservatively. Caleb Williams had a 9.2 aDOT and threw the ball 10+ yards past the line of scrimmage just eight times, according to PFF.

New Orleans walked into the contest like they had forgotten to look at the weather report. Though they began with an early deficit, they were unable to establish the run from the get go. They threw the ball 32 times and ran the ball on just 17 plays. They accumulated just 44 rushing yards, a season low, while averaging 2.6 yards per carry. They did not take care of the ball: Spencer Rattler came into the game with just one interception on the year. He threw three picks in Week 7. 

Spencer Rattler ended the game with an 11.9 aDOT, his highest of the season. 41% of his passes were thrown 10+ yards down the field. The last thing a team should be doing in treacherous weather conditions is trying to win via the deep ball. That is how turnovers are created and games are lost, as evidenced by this one.

The Saints could not run the football, they threw the ball deep on nearly half their passing plays, and they lost the turnover and time of possession battle in significant fashion. It is evident that New Orleans’ Head Coach Kellen Moore was simply outcoached by fellow rookie Head Coach Ben Johnson. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” If that reigns true, then Moore threw the game plan out the window very early in this contest.