Favored Saints brace for Bears
Saints linebacker Demario Davis’ largely productive NFL career also has had its share of disappointing, teachable moments.
Losing seasons with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns helped Davis cherish recent postseason opportunities with New Orleans. And in the playoffs, Davis has experienced excruciating losses in each of the past three seasons — with the decisive score coming on each game’s final play.
So as the four-time NFC
South champion Saints (12-4) embark on yet another playoff run, starting Sunday against the recently resurgent Chicago
Bears (8-8) in the Superdome, Davis is imploring teammates to narrow their focus and stay in the present.
“The only thing that we’re promised is this moment. That is the only clock that you could be looking at,” Davis said. “It isn’t like, as a team, you’ve got so many opportunities to be here. The only moment we have is right now and it’s all about what we do with it right now.”
For the Saints, the stakes are high because their quarterback is 41-year-old Drew Brees, who has become synonymous with New Orleans during the past 15 seasons. Brees brought the footballobsessed community it’s lone major pro sports championship 11 seasons ago, and became the NFL’S all-time leader in yards passing. Brees will turn 42 on Jan. 15 and hasn’t committed to playing beyond this season, so each game could be his last.
Asked if he’d decided whether this season would be his last, Brees said only: “I’ve made a decision about being the best I can be this week so we can go win this game so we can keep playing.”
Brees is in his ninth postseason with New Orleans and 11th in his career.
Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky, now in his fourth NFL season, is in the playoffs for just the second time after what was a turbulent 2020 for him.
Trubisky was benched earlier this season and has started just nine games. But the Bears went 6-3 in those games, with three victories in four games to close the regular season and sneak into the playoffs.
“We got nothing to lose. We know everybody is overlooking us,” Trubisky said. “We’ve got to come in playing smart and play disciplined football, but that doesn’t mean coming in being uptight. I think, go in and play free.”