D’Andre Swift rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown, the Chicago defense took the ball away four times and the host Bears won their fourth consecutive game by beating the New Orleans Saints 26-14 on Sunday.
Caleb Williams passed for 172 yards and Kyle Monangai added a touchdown run for the Bears (4-2), who rushed for 222 yards and exceeded their NFL-leading average of 2.4 takeaways per game.
Spencer Rattler passed for 233 yards and threw two touchdown passes to Chris Olave, but he also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble for the Saints (1-6), who matched their turnover total for the first six games combined.
The Saints received the second-half kickoff and drove to a 14-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Olave, the tandem’s second scoring connection in as many possessions, to pull New Orleans within 20-14.
The Bears responded with a 24-yard field goal by Jake Moody, increasing the lead to 23-14 at the end of the third quarter. Moody’s fourth field goal in as many tries, a 33-yarder, completed the scoring.
The Saints’ defense forced a three-and-out on the game’s first possession after their last four opponents had scored touchdowns on each of their first two possessions. But on New Orleans’ second offensive play, Rattler lost a fumble at his team’s 24-yard line, leading to Moody’s 27-yard field goal.
Quincy Riley intercepted Williams at the Bears 48, but Blake Grupe was wide right on a 53-yard field-goal attempt, leaving Chicago with a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
On the third play of the second quarter, Moody kicked a 39-yard field goal to increase the lead to 6-0.
Nahshon Wright intercepted Rattler and gave the Bears the ball at the Saints 30. Four plays later, Swift ran 11 yards for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead. Monangai’s 1-yard touchdown run pushed the lead to 20-0.
After failing to score on its first six possessions, New Orleans drove 91 yards in five plays and Rattler’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Olave trimmed the lead to 20-7 at halftime.
