On Sunday, the Bears will travel to New Orleans to play the Saints at the Superdome for only the fourth time since 1996. Traveling to play in New Orleans has been a rarity for the Bears since winning the Super Bowl there back in January of 1986. Since then, whenever the team has traveled to play the Saints, the Bears have only won once since winning it all in the Bayou close to 38 years ago.
Chicago's Losing Streak In New Orleans Has Had A Consistent Theme
Since winning the Super Bowl at the Superdome in 1986, the Bears have played in New Orleans only six times since. Oddly enough, in the team's first appearance back at the Superdome since winning it all, the team was victorious in a bizarre 1991 contest with the Saints. In a Week 9 matchup against an undefeated New Orleans, Chicago would pull of the upset in a come-from-behind win as quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who had only completed two passes up until the final two minutes of the game, completed three passes, including a game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Tom Waddle with the final score 20-17. Harbaugh only completed five passes the entire game for just 61 yards.
Chicago would visit the Big Easy the following year when they would play New Orleans in a Week 2 contest, which featured a battle of two playoff teams from the year before. Although the Bears led 6-0 at halftime, the Saints dominated the second half, scoring four touchdowns in a 28-6 victory. Chicago's offense was outscored by New Orleans's defense, as the defensive unit returned both a fumble and an interception for touchdowns.
Four years later, in 1996, The Bears would lose a close-fought shootout on the road to the Saints by a final of 27-24 as kicker Kevin Butler missed a kick that would have allowed New Orleans to tie the game instead of win it. It would be seven years later before Chicago would travel to the Superdome again in 2003, this time losing a forgettable game by a final score of 20-13.
It would be eight seasons before the Bears would travel to New Orleans again to play the Saints, as the two teams played a Week 2 matchup in 2011. Despite the Saints winning this game 30-13, there was controversy as this contest was used as evidence in the league's investigation of New Orleans' "Bounty Gate" scandal, which was related to defensive players being rewarded for hard hits that would injure opposing players. Bears' wide receiver Earl Bennett missed multiple games following a vicious hit when catching a pass over the middle, and quarterback Jay Culter was kicked in the throat, yet still managed to stay in the game.
The last time Chicago played a regular at the Superdome was in 2017 when the team lost a close-fought defensive battle by a final of 20-17. Fans remember this game due to tight end Zach Miller suffering a career-ending and near life-altering knee injury as his knee bent the opposite way as he was attempting to catch a pass in the endzone. The play was controversial as the officials, who originally ruled the catch a touchdown, ruled that Miller did not complete the catch as he let the ball go after falling to the ground to grab his injured knee.
Chicago has even had issues at the Superdome during their lone playoff appearance against the Saints in 2020. Although the Bears lost 21-9, they only trailed by 11 points late into the fourth quarter. The loss is remembered for wide receiver Javon Wims' wide-open touchdown drop, which would have allowed Chicago to tie the game at seven early in the game.
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The key theme to Chicago's current five-game losing streak when playing in New Orleans has been a lack of offense. Since scoring 46 points in Super Bowl XX at the Superdome, the Bears haven't scored more than 25 points in any games at the location since then. In all of Chicago's losses on the road in New Orleans, the team has only scored two touchdowns or more in just one game. For a stadium that has a special place of excitement and joy in Chicagoans' hearts, the Bears have yet to create any joy there since 1991.
Chicago's 2005 Victory Over The Saints Proves There Is A Curse Tied To The Superdome
Chicago's lone road victory against New Orleans since 1991 came back in 2005 in a game that never happened at the Superdome. During the 2005 season, the Saints were displaced after their stadium was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina, which leveled New Orleans. The team had to play seven of the eight road games at alternate sites, which included the Alamodome in San Antonio and LSU Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.
The Week 9 contest was originally scheduled for the Superdome, as the game had to be moved to Tiger Stadium and with the start time pushed back to 3 PM. The contest is partially remembered for how the college stadium didn't have the necessary accommodations for an NFL game. Airboats had to be brought to the stadium to dry the field, field markers were still visible from the LSU Tigers' game from the day before, and fans behind the endzones were able to catch footballs as there was no net to catch field goals and extra point attempts.
With less than half of the stadium filled for the game, the Bears managed to win a back-and-forth contest that featured several lead changes. The Bears' offense, despite quarterback Kyle Orton only passing for 137 yards, managed to rush for over 170 yards, including multiple 36-yard rushes from Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson. Orton did complete a clutch 22-yard pass to pick up a first down, which enabled rookie kicker Robbie Gould to kick a 28-yard game-winning field goal with less than ten seconds left, giving Chicago a 20-17 win.
On Sunday, the 2023 Bears, although they have had a rough season so far, can snap a streak that is 31 years old. A win over New Orleans could give Chicago a chance to win two games within four days as they play the one-win Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night in primetime. A loss at the Superdome would extend the losing streak to six games, with their next potential opportunity to snap it not coming again until 2029.
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