The Chicago Bears have won three straight, and perhaps they have turned the corner and are starting to become the team that Ben Johnson envisioned when he took the job.
They are certainly a work in progress, but their next opponent, the New Orleans Saints, is struggling right now, sitting with just a 1-5 record. Can the Bears improve to 4-2? We sat down with Nic Jennings from Canal Street Chronicles (SB Nation’s Saints site) to get a perspective on where the Saints are at this point in the season.
1. What have your thoughts been on first-year head coach Kellen Moore so far this season? I questioned the hire in the moment, so I’m curious if he looks the part so far.
Kellen Moore instantly won over the fanbase this offseason by providing an immediate—and desperately needed—culture shift. By emphasizing recovery and efficient time management, Moore earned high praise from his players. It’s clearly paid off, as New Orleans has dealt with far fewer injuries than in years past—especially soft tissue issues—and even came out of last week’s game against the Patriots without a single injury.
During training camp, Juwan Johnson said the vibes were as high as they’d been since the Saints opened the 2021 season 5-2 before Jameis Winston’s torn ACL. Johnson, Erik McCoy, and Kendre Miller all noted they felt better than ever so deep into the offseason, while veteran Davon Godchaux labeled it the best training camp he’s ever been part of.
Through six weeks, the Saints may sit at 1-5, but they’ve been competitive in five of those games aside from the Seahawks disaster. Sure, Kellen Moore still has some things to clean up—like settling for too many field goals and improving his red zone play-calling—but he’s done a great job keeping this team both competitive and united. The team hasn’t lost morale—and they definitely don’t quit.
Chase Young summed it up best when asked about Moore earlier this season:
“We love Coach Moore—just what he’s doing right now, what he’s providing to us… He’s won it; he’s bringing all that. He knows how to win, and he’s doing things with us to be in that position also. Can’t say enough about Coach Moore.”
It’s safe to say Kellen Moore has quickly won over both the team and Who Dat Nation.
2. I want to ask about Mickey Loomis. I have felt the last few seasons that the Saints really needed to blow up the roster and start over, but Loomis seems to keep kicking salary down the road and clinging to a team that has been getting worse and really couldn’t compete. Do you feel that’s the case, or is Loomis handling the roster properly?
I think the entire fanbase is a bit fed up with how Mickey Loomis has handled things post–Brees and Payton. That said, I’ve never been on the side of blowing everything up and starting over, because I still think the Saints have pieces worth building around—they just haven’t been taking advantage of them.
For me, the frustration boils down to not addressing specific needs, poor free-agent additions, and drafting “projects” in the first round that haven’t panned out. The Saints have needed skill-position help for years, yet they continue to pass on it in the early rounds, instead taking offensive linemen who they later move to different positions (Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning) or defensive ends who are either unproductive or can’t stay healthy (Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey). Additionally, several free-agent signings simply haven’t worked out—most notably Derek Carr, Marcus Maye, and Willie Gay Jr.—and many fans aren’t thrilled with the more recent extensions given to players like Juwan Johnson this offseason and Pete Werner last season. Not to mention, the Saints let Trey Hendrickson walk in 2020, only for him to become one of the league’s premier pass rushers—while New Orleans remains in desperate need of help off the edge.
I’ve said it for a while now—it feels like the Saints need to embrace a more modern approach in how they run the organization. Maybe in the future we’ll see Jeff Ireland or Khai Harley finally get the chance to lead this franchise, but the hire of Kellen Moore is a positive first step toward that modernized approach—especially considering he’s only six months older than Demario Davis and wrapped up his six-year pro career in 2017.
3. I can’t say I’m carefully watching Saints games, but I thought Spencer Rattler was going to be awful this year and that Tyler Shough should be the starting QB. However, it seems like Rattler has looked pretty good and is, at minimum, a solid QB2, and perhaps he could be a consistent starter. Where are you at with Rattler so far in his career?
I’d say Spencer Rattler has shown more than enough to deserve the chance to be the starter beyond just one season—regardless of the Tyler Shough selection.
The dumpster fire he was thrown into as a rookie—considering the injuries, the almost nonexistent supporting cast, and the fact that his head coach was fired midseason—made it nearly impossible for any fifth-round pick to succeed in that situation.
In his sophomore season, Rattler has kept the Saints competitive in games many thought they had no business being in—and I’d argue he’s been the best player on the field wearing black and gold in a couple of them, especially last week against the Patriots when he posted a 93.2 overall grade. There’s no questioning his competitive spirit. He rallies his teammates, they ride behind him, and, most importantly, he takes accountability—a huge breath of fresh air following the Derek Carr experience.
I’ve seen some fans argue that starting Rattler is stunting the development of Shough. However, Rattler is actually a year younger, already has a season of NFL experience, showed promise last year, and followed it up with an impressive offseason. He’s just as much of a developmental player as Shough—and I’d argue his dual-threat ability makes him an even better fit for Kellen Moore’s offense.
I understand that when a team spends an early second-round pick on a 27-year-old rookie, there’s a desire to see what you’ve got right away, but I agree with Kellen Moore’s approach—going with the guy he believes is most ready for the speed of the NFL right now. And so far, Rattler has done a solid job while taking huge strides in his development.
Some of his improvements that have really stood out to me: excellent pocket awareness under pressure, the ability to escape while keeping his eyes downfield, sharper footwork, better decision-making, and his quick release that clearly frustrated the Patriots’ defense. The main thing he still needs to clean up is his accuracy, but overall, he’s been a completely different player in year two.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll continue to say it with confidence: If Rattler can tighten up his accuracy and start taking more shots downfield, he has all the intangibles to become the future of this franchise at the quarterback position.
4. How have the Saints looked defensively, and where is a weak point that Ben Johnson might be able to take advantage of on Sunday?
The biggest weakness of the New Orleans defense is pass rush production, which allows opponents to attack the Saints’ young secondary.
Drake Maye had a field day picking on rookie defensive backs Jonas Sanker—who has had a strong start to his career and has arguably been the most productive defensive back on the roster—and Quincy Riley, while Kool-Aid McKinstry also struggled after his breakout two-interception performance against the Giants.
Carl Granderson has 4.5 sacks on the year, and Chase Young made his season debut against New England, putting together a solid performance but no sacks to show for it. Still, somebody will need to step up to help take some pressure off this inexperienced secondary.
5. How do you see this one playing out on Sunday?
Honestly, I see this game playing out much like the rest of the Saints’ losses. They’ll put up a tough fight and compete until the end, but ultimately fall just short on the road against their old friend Dennis Allen.
I’ll take the Bears, 26-23.
