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2013 3TFO NO@CHI wk5Week 5 has a number of intriguing matchups. One of them takes place at Soldier Field, where the Bears (3-1) host the red-hot Saints (4-0). A win for the Saints and they maintain an early lead in the home field advantage race (and a stranglehold on their division), a win for the Bears and they could be in sole possession of first place in the NFC north by the end of the day.

One of the keys to the Bears’ start is the distribution of playmakers. Chicago’s offense is spreading the ball around to Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, and Matt Forte. As a result, Jay Cutler is no longer just zeroing in on Marshall every play. The defense is continuing to create turnovers and Devin Hester an Eric Weems have made big plays for the special teams unit. On the flip-side, they are struggling to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and after a solid start the offensive line has been shaky the past few weeks.

The Saints are coming off a Monday night thrashing of the Dolphins. Their passing offense is in peak form. They are struggling to run the ball, but so far it hasn’t been a problem with the way Drew Brees is spreading the ball around, with Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham, and Darren Sproles each catching over 21 passes. The revived defense has been the real key for the Saints. The dominance of Cameron Jordan, improvement of Junior Galette, and addition of rookies Kenny Vacarro and John Jenkins have made the switch to the 3-4 much smoother. They have been above average against the run and are just outside our Top 5 team ratings with a +13.4 pass rushing grade.

There are matchup nightmares all over the field for this game. Graham could be in our “three to focus on” every week, and the same goes for Matt Forte (I gave them the week off this week). Here are a few other matchups to look out for.

Read more: Profootball Focus

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