Chicago Bears gain just 239 yards and 11 first downs, four of which come in the final two minutes; New Orleans Saints advance to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round next Sunday
Monday 11 January 2021 06:23, UK
Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes and the New Orleans Saints defence dominated the Chicago Bears in a convincing 21-9 victory in their Wild Card clash on Sunday.
The Saints advance to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round next Sunday. New Orleans won both regular-season meetings against their NFC South rivals.
Brees completed 28 of 39 passes for 265 yards, while Chicago's Mitchell Trubisky went 19 of 29 for 199 yards, with his team struggling mightily on offense.
The Bears gained just 239 yards and 11 first downs, four of which came in the final two minutes as they scored a touchdown with the very last play of the game - Trubisky to Jimmy Graham, who made a nice one-handed grab before running straight down the tunnel.
The Saints welcomed back their top two offensive weapons - wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara - for the game, and both found the endzone.
Brees connected with Thomas three times on the Saints' first two possessions, the third completion being an 11-yard touchdown that gave New Orleans a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Bears defence did well to keep the New Orleans offence contained thereafter for the first half, which ended with the Saints holding a slender 7-3 lead.
Chicago might even have gone into the break ahead had Javon Wims not dropped a sure-fire touchdown on a perfect strike from Trubisky in the endzone. The Bears were in scoring range, but they passed on a field goal attempt on fourth-and-four from the Saints 34-yard line and Trubisky was stopped short of the first down.
In the second half, on New Orleans' first possession, they put together an 85-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Latavius Murray.
It was a rare bright spark from either team on offence after the break, with the Saints doing just enough and the Bears doing very little.
New Orleans finally increased their lead when Kamara - back following time out with Covid-19 - ran in a three-yard score midway through the fourth quarter.
Brees came close to a goal-line TD of his own but he was ruled short on his dive for the endzone on fourth down, then inside the final two minute Trubisky and the Bears put up some garbage-time yardage and points as they drive down the field to set-up Graham's consolation score.
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