The Bears won a game they had to win. And, they nearly gave it away. The Bears had three turnovers, that last one late in the 4th quarter, when Kyle Orton threw an ill-timed interception. The Saints scored a TD to take a late lead, but the Bears came back and tied the game up on a Robbie Gould field-goal with :02 left.
The FG attempt was lucky because Orton was caught in a scamble deep in the Saints' red-zone and was tackled. He immediately called a time-out to stop the clock. If the Saints didn't touch him, the clock could have ticked off. But the Bears got a break and made the game-tying kick.
Then Chicago got another break when Devin Hester was interfered with on a long pass play in OT. The ball was now deep in Saints' territory, and Gould hit another field-goal and the Bears won 27-24, thus keeping their playoff hopes alive.
It was cold in Chicago on a Sunday night, Bear weather, and the Saints started off the game slowly. The Bears had a 21-7 half-time lead, and were driving for more in the 3rd quarter, when Orton hit a receiver who couldn't control the ball which bounced into a Saints' defender's hands. If the Bears had scored on that drive the game would have likely been over. But Chicago simply doesn't do anything easy. The Saints rallied in the second half and nearly won the game.
Both teams needed this game badly. The loss dropped the Saints all but out of playoff contention, while Chicago still clings to a shot at the Division crown with two game left to play.
The Bears defense bended but didn't break. Special teams played well. Danieal Manning scored on a beautiful run on the opening kickoff to put the home team up 7-0 in the blink of an eye. Orton made passes count late in the 4th quarter and OT to move the team down the field. And, Matt Forte, who is the bulk of the Bears' offense this season, made some key runs in the game-winning drive in OT.
The Bears (8-6) won back to back games in what seems like eons. If they can grab the moment and prevail versus Green Bay on what might be a frigid Monday night game, the team has a shot to go post-season. This win over the Saints gives them that chance. It's going to be a tough game. It's a rivalry game, and the Bears are looking for payback. The Packers clobbered them up in Green Bay. Now, cold weather or not, this will be a heated game.
