The Bears are off this week. They return Sunday, Nov. 22, against the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field, with kickoff at noon on Fox.
Chicago enters the break at 7-2, with four straight wins. The most recent was also the closest. On Nov. 8, the Bears beat Tampa Bay 27-24 on Sunday Night Football despite turning the ball over five times. Caleb Williams threw four interceptions, then led a 49-yard drive in the final 2:51 that ended with Cairo Santos kicking a 38-yard field goal as time expired.
"It's hard to win with five turnovers, and yet we found a way to do it," coach Ben Johnson said. "They know that we didn't play as well as we're capable of playing."
Williams finished 22 of 37 for 279 yards and two touchdowns, one to Rome Odunze from 9 yards and one to Luther Burden III from 56. Burden caught seven passes for 97 yards. Williams had not turned the ball over in his previous three games, and he said the four interceptions would not change his approach. "I'm going to keep grippin' it, keep rippin' it," he said.
On defense, cornerback Jaylon Johnson returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Bears sacked Baker Mayfield four times, held him to a 54.6 passer rating and allowed Tampa Bay to convert 2 of 12 third downs. The running game had less to show, with 72 yards on 22 carries.
New Orleans is 3-5 and coming off a 23-22 overtime win over Cleveland on Nov. 8. Quarterback Tyler Shough threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson in overtime, and the Browns answered with a touchdown but missed the two-point try. Shough completed 21 of 35 passes for 265 yards and was sacked five times. The Saints host Carolina on Nov. 15 before traveling north.
The two franchises' biggest meeting in Chicago came on Jan. 21, 2007, when the Bears beat the Saints 39-14 in the NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field to reach Super Bowl XLI.
Every team in the NFC North has a winning record. Detroit is 6-2 and Green Bay is 6-3, and Minnesota was 6-1 before its Nov. 9 game against Buffalo. Four days after the Saints game, Chicago plays at Detroit on Thanksgiving, with kickoff at noon on CBS.