The New Orleans Saints continue to show like they are falling behind rather than finding any improvement on the field, and that was blatantly obvious in a 26-14 Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Very few things went right for the Black and Gold; minus a season-best day from wide receiver Chris Olave in which he had five receptions for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the Saints lacked any production anywhere. 

After weeks of showing that he could be close to breaking through, quarterback Spencer Rattler looked completely out of sorts on the field. The signal-caller had three interceptions and a lost fumble on the day, but in all honesty, he's lucky that it wasn't picked off two or three more times. Rattler repeatedly put the ball in danger and lacked the ability to go through progressions. Add to that four sacks on the day, and it almost seems like a miracle that he managed to throw for 233 total yards and two touchdowns.

The sacks are not totally on Rattler, as his offensive line was no match for the Bears in the trenches. Even position players such as running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Juwan Johnson were repeatedly blown past when trying to block. Speaking of Kamara, he managed just 28 total yards on 11 carries and couldn't find any sort of separation. Fellow running back Kendre Miller, who has shown flashes of talent, left the game with an injury.

Chicago had all of the momentum on its side defensively, and New Orleans couldn't get out of its own way. It was the perfect revenge game for former Saints' head coach and current Bears' defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who had his unit looking sharp and aggressive from the start. The visiting squad was held to just 253 total yards, converted just 3-of-10 third downs and had no fourth down conversions in two attempts. 

As for the Black and Gold defense? It was another day of bad fundamentals, missed tackles and blown coverage. Things looked solid in the first minute of the game, as New Orleans forced Chicago to go three-and-out, but things imploded from there. The Bears bullied the Saints in the trenches, pushing forward for 222 rushing yards and averaging 5.8 yards per play. Not to mention, New Orleans only had one sack on the day. 

With offense and defense both struggling, it makes sense that special teams also had to have a lackluster outing. Kicker Blake Grupe missed his lone field goal attempt in the first half, and Kai Kroeger averaged 42.3 yards per punt with none landing inside the 20-yard line. 

What comes next? Nobody knows, but something needs to change. Rattler is now 1-12 as a starter with a rookie second-round draft pick sitting on the bench, the offensive line is still struggling despite seasons of "rebuilding" and defense looks the worst that it has in years. How much longer will this go on?

It only gets more difficult from here for the Black and Gold. Divisional play starts next Sunday, as the Saints will welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Caesars Superdome. The Bucs could be the toughest opponent that New Orleans has seen so far.