Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. New Orleans 29 at Chicago 23 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New Orleans Saints: QB Aaron Brooks seems intent on living up to that new contract he signed. Down 20-0 at one point, it was obvious the Saints were never out of the game and that was primarily because of Brooks. The WR situation is more crowded than it appears on the box score. Each WR caught a TD but the targets were more even than it appears. WR Joe Horn "only" had 42 yards on 6 catches. Horn saw 10 passes come his way. Rookie sensation WR Donte' Stallworth is becoming a bigger part of this offense each week. He was targeted with 8 passes and caught 4. And Jerome Pathon had 9 passes thrown his way catching 5. RB Deuce McAllister had a pretty quiet day with just 45 yards on 17 carries but he added another 42 yard receiving. Don't worry, he's still as good as you think he is. Chicago Bears: RB Anthony Thomas will be the workmanlike, grind it out RB that doesn't look especially effective while the game is on but the next thing you know he's 27 for 111 yards like he was yesterday. QB Jim Miller put up another solid day with 236 yards on 26 of 42 attempts. Plus 2 TDs. He's not flashy but he gets the job done. As expected, WR Marty Booker was the go to guy. He caught 8 passes for 97 yards and 1 TD. That's twice as many receptions as any other receiver for Chicago. Dez White wasn't far behind in opportunities though as he saw almost as many passes thrown his way including several on the last drive. TE John Davis came from nowhere to grab 4 passes for 34 yards. Considering he caught 11 passes in all of 2001, that's big news. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks seems intent on living up to that new contract he signed. Down 20-0 at one point, it was obvious the Saints were never out of the game and that was primarily because of Brooks. He completed 22 of 34 for 233 yards and 3 TDs And just for good measure, he ran for 28 yards including a spectacular TD dive. He was 4 for 4 on the game winning drive. He's playing as well as anyone right now. RB: Deuce McAllister was thrown off of his game when the Saints fell behind 20-0. He was still a big part of the passing plan though adding 42 yards on 4 passes. He ran 17 times for 45 yards. He still looks as solid as ever and even with the huge success of Ricky Williams in Miami, New Orleans thinks they have the right RB for them lined up in the backfield. WR: Joe Horn. Horn "only" had 42 yards on 6 catches. Plus a TD. Keep a very close eye on how this shapes up. We like Horn, but these other WRs are starting to get a little close. Rookie sensation WR Donte' Stallworth is becoming a bigger part of this offense each week. He was targeted with 8 passes and caught 4. He also added another TD. He's an electrifying player that's subject to score whenever he touches the ball. Jerome Pathon saw 9 passes thrown his way and caught 5 for 71 yards plus a TD. All 3 of these WRs are solid contributors. TE: David Sloan caught 2 passes for 33 yards. With the WRs they have plus Deuce McAllister, there aren't a lot of balls to go around for the TE. Rush Defense: The Saints were overpowered by Chicago's power rushing attack with Anthony Thomas. The Bears established a tone early and often that they would run right at New Orleans and they were effective in doing so. Pass Defense: Nothing special early on as they allowed the Bears to build a quick lead. But they settled down and played better. Special Teams: John Carney did not attempt a FG. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Chicago Bears QB: Jim Miller was beaten up a little but usual, stayed tough in the pocket. 2 TDs plus 236 yards is a solid effort. The Bears scored on 4 of their first 5 possessions and put the pressure on New Orleans early. As has been the case, Miller looks to Marty Booker as his first option in many plays. RB: This team is building it's game around the smash mouth running style of Anthony Thomas. He ground out 111 yards on 27 carries plus added 27 yards on 4 receptions. Chicago is using Thomas to set the tone for the offense and to soften the defense for Jim Miller and the passing game. Like Jim Miller, Thomas is not flashy, but effective. He did have a nice 24 yard run. Thomas had 27 of the 28 Running Back rushes by Chicago. Leon Johnson was not a factor. WR: Marty Booker looks like a man on a mission. What mission? Punishing every Fantasy football "expert" who left him off their preseason Top 10. ...Booker was clearly the go to guy again with 97 yards on 8 receptions. Booker is usually the first choice in Miller's progression. He was targeted 10 times. Dez White caught just 3 passes for 41 yards but one was a TD. But you should note that White had 8 passes thrown his way. Great example of the box score not telling the entire story. He only caught 3 of these but he could have had a much bigger day. Marcus Robinson only had 7 yards on 2 receptions and was targeted 4 times. Chicago simply runs the ball too effectively for the 3rd WR to put up good numbers. David Terrell was not much of a factor with just 1 reception for 4 yards TE: John Davis came from nowhere to grab 4 passes for 34 yards. Considering he caught 11 passes in all of 2001, that's big news. Fred Baxter sprained his ankle. Rush Defense: Even as short handed as Chicago was missing DT Ted Washington plus 2 more starters, the Bears did an outstanding job holding down Deuce McAllister. As usual, they got great play from their LB corps. Part of their success though in the running game had to be the fact that New Orleans was forced to play catch-up and throw the ball. Pass Defense: Was effective early against Aaron Brooks but eventually, found they didn't have answers for the WR trio of Horn, Stallworth and Pathon. Reggie Austin missed a tackle on Donte Stallworth late in the game that could have been huge. Special teams: Paul Edinger was 3 for 4 on FGs