/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/4013265/505667926.jpg)
After thoroughly dominating the Falcons offensive line in Week 1, there's been a lot of talk about the stellar play of the Bears defensive line. Peppers, Melton, and Okoye combined for 5 sacks, numerous hurries, and a forced fumble.
The Saints gave up 3 sacks to the Green Bay Packers in the season opener, and the Packers seemed to let off the gas a little bit on defense after jumping out to three touchdowns in the first half.
The question of the night is: How many sacks will the Bears log against the Saints tomorrow? Some points to consider after the jump.
Here's a couple things that should shake out in the Bears favor:
- While the Saints have a couple of Pro Bowl caliber guards in Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks, they have some unproven talent at tackle. While Jermon Bushrod has been a starter for a couple of years, Zach Strief is in his first year as starter. Look for Peppers to try to take advantage of this sutation.
- In addition to the concern at tackle, the Saints line up with Olin Kreutz under center. Having spent his career here, I don't really need to explain why this can be advantageous for the Bears. While he plays as mean as ever, Kreutz's physical skills seem to have diminished enough that Melton and Okoye could make it a very long day for him. In addition, Kreutz can have some trouble with the shotgun snap. Force them to go shotgun to buy Brees time, and it could backfire with bad snaps or poor timing.
The main problem is, even if they're getting through, Brees is so danged good at getting rid of the ball, that it may result in hurries with no drops. Should the stars align, it could be another big day for these 2011 Chicago Bears defensive lineman. Any thoughts you have, please drop below.