The New Orleans Saints will head to Solider Field to face the Chicago Bears in Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season. To break it down, Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron joins us to preview Sunday afternoon’s
matchup.
NJ: Has Caleb Williams lived up to expectations so far, and how has he improved in his second year through five games?
BZ: I mean, if we’re being honest, no, Caleb Williams has not lived up to expectations. But to be fair, those expectations were set astronomically high. I think based on what a complete trainwreck last season was around him, he played pretty well as a rookie. His advanced numbers weren’t good, but it’s hard to trash someone who throws for 3500 yards, 20 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and nearly sets an NFL record for most consecutive attempts without an interception. That being said, we’ve seen significant growth from Williams in a couple of key areas. The two biggest areas, which are related, is that Caleb is playing much quicker from the pocket. His time to throw is down and he’s getting the ball out and to receivers at a much beter rate. That has helped him cut his sack numbers way down. Last season he led the league with 68 sacks taken, this year, he’s on pace for 34.
The biggest issue we’ve seen from Caleb where he’s still struggling is accuracy. Now, that wasn’t really an issue in college, but it has been last season and this season. Perhaps he’s rushing things a bit and not setting his feet and throwing properly, but that’s something that needs to be cleaned up. He has definitely improved this season and the influence of Ben Johnson has been obvious.
NJ: How has Ben Johnson’s offense looked through his first five games as head coach, and should the Saints expect any of his signature trick plays this week?
BZ: Ben Johnson hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been a gift from heaven for Bears fans who see sputtering offenses year in and year out. The Bears offense isn’t elite, but it certainly is good. They are currently top 10 in points scored per game and are the only team in the NFL to have scored 21 or more points in every game.
The run scheme didn’t look very cohesive the first few games, but D’Andre Swift and the run blocking looked incredible against Washington on Monday. Receivers are consistently getting open, they just need some more accurate throws for it to really start coming together.
As for trick plays, certainly that’s a possibility, we’ve seen a couple of them so far, but we haven’t seen them weekly or anything. As Matt Eberflus once said, “Everything is on the table, everything is off the table.”
NJ: How has the Bears’ defense looked since adding former Saints head coach Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator? What are some pros and cons you’ve noticed early in his tenure?
BZ: The Bears defense has been banged up. Jaylon Johnson is out for the year, and TJ Edwards, Grady Jarrett, and Kyler Gordon have all missed significant time. The defense certainly struggled early. They had a stretch where if you take the fourth quarter of week one against Minnesota and the full Detroit game in week two, the defense gave up 700 yards of offense and 73 points in 5 quarters.
The defense doesn’t look great as a whole, however, they are doing two things really well, they are playing very good defense on third down, and they are forcing a lot of turnovers. I think Allen has been disguising coverages well that has gotten some interceptions under their belt and he has the players constantly trying to rip the ball out on tackles.
Last week, the defense was healthier and they looked better against Washington. It’ll be interesting to see if that’s how we should expect them to look moving forward or if that was a peak and they regress a little more towards their previous performances.
NJ: Who is one under-the-radar Bears player that has stood out and might be a difference-maker against the Saints?
BZ: This is an interesting question because I think most of the Bears skill position players are well-known and aren’t really under-the-radar at all. The offensive players that are under-the-radar are there for a reason. If there’s one on offense, it’s 7th round rookie Kyle Monangai who has emerged as the team’s RB2. Swift gets 90% of the action at running back but Monangai has been getting a few opportunities and perhaps could splash for a touchdown.
On defense, I’m going to say Austin Booker. Booker hasn’t played yet this season because he’s been on the IR. He practiced fully this past week but wasn’t elevated from the IR. I think that happens this week after two full weeks of practice. Booker was a 5th round pick in 2024 and will immediately become the team’s DE3. Booker flashed a lot in preseason and might be ready for a breakout season where he could have 5 or 6 sacks this season in a sub role.
NJ: According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Bears (-250) are currently 5.5-point favorites over the Saints (+205) in Sunday’s matchup; what is your final score prediction?
BZ: I think the Bears will win this one. I think even if it was in New Orleans, I would pick the Bears, but I would pick it as a close game. Being this one is in Chicago, I think the Bears win this one comfortably. The Bears have won 3 in a row and appear to be continually improving. I know the Saints are feisty, but they are struggling this year and I think the Bears will cover the spread in this one. I’ll call this one Bears 27, Saints 17.
Thank you again to Bill Zimmerman for joining us to preview this week’s matchup! You can check out the rest of his work here.
