Bears' 26-14 win over Saints: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

• The defense is taking the ball away at a greater rate than last year.

• They're now starting to apply some pass rush pressure, too, with a season-high four sacks.

They also haven't been trying to use their backup center as a fullback like last year, and have had to go through two kickers.

The coaching, though, remains the big difference. The postgame celebrations look so much more spontaneous while generating more electricity.

Also, they've won four straight, and that's one more than last year when they had gone 4-2. Getting to five will be the real trick.

Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 7 and a 26-14 Bears win over the New Orleans Saints.

The Good

Four takeaways

The interceptions by Kevin Byard, Nahshon Wright and Tremaine Edmunds and Gervon Dexter's fumble recovery on Montez Sweat's strip-sack made it at least three takeaways in four straight games, the first time they did this since 2023 when they were in a stretch of five wins in nine games.

Their 15 takeaways in a four-game stretch is their most since 2012-13, when they put up 16 in a three-game stretch.

It's also the most in four games in the NFL since 2023 when Denver did it and as a result, the Bears lead the NFL in turnover differential.

Dennis Allen's postgame speech

Instead of ranting about the Saints, he delivered on sharp little barb and let it go.

"Hey listen, sometimes the Good Lord just has some freakin' plans for you that you don't know about. Sometime you ain't good enough for somewhere else, that's perfectly fine.

"I love being here, I love being with this group of guys. You guys work you damn (deleted) off but four ain't enough, four ain't enough."

A classy way to get in his shot without being obnoxious

DJ Moore's catch and run

An 26-yard pass by Caleb Williams in the second quarter didn't seem so big at a glance, but the play itself was so picture perfect it should be something for the Bears QB to strive for in the future.

He got the throw out quickly, like bullet and had it exactly where Moore needed it to stay in stride and get upfield for the first down. They had other big gains in the game and, in fact, Moore had a 26-yarder, but the 11-yard pass was timed perfectly and what the Bears coaches have wanted to see since OTAs.

Power football

The Bears had 222 yards rushing as a team but the 124 on 19 carries by D'Andre Swift and 81 on 13 carries by Kyle Monangai were particularly pleasing to Bears fans because they were running hard and through tacklers rather than around end. These were the type of run plays that can be used as the basis for a strong attack.

Swift's 23-yard run behind right guard Jonah Jackson started this stretch. It was the longest run by a Bears player this season. Shortly thereafter, Monangai broke a similar play a yard longer.

The bad

Dayo Odeyingbo's pass coverage

He isn't a linebacker, he's a defensive end.

Odeyingbo, though, was asked to drop off into coverage in the third quarter. As a result, he set a perfect pick for Chris Olave on Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright and gave the Saints receiver just what he needed to get free in the red zone for a 14-yard touchdown throw to slice the Bears' lead to 20-14.

It was one of the few mistakes Dennis Allen made in the game.

The injuries

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson sustained a shoulder injury and tight end Cole Kmet a back injury and neither on returned.

Stevenson's injury is particularly devastating for the Bears as they're already without cornerback Jaylon Johnson. This leaves their starting cornerbacks as Nick McCloud and Nahshon Wright. For a while, Wright left the field with an apparent injury but returned. When he was gone, they inserted Josh Blackwell at nickel and moved Kyler Gordon to outside cornerback and Wright's spot.

Williams' passing accuracy

His game only served to underscore how Troy Aikman was right about Williams' need to deliver the ball more accurately. At 15 of 25, he was at 60% accuracy and came into the game only at 61.6% completions. Whatever happened to 70%?

Williams was criticizing his own inability to hit receivers while on the run. The Bears would just like to see him hit a receiver from a standing position let alone the run.

The ugly

Wright play, wrong tackler

Nahshon Wright's interception and 37-yard return to set up a Bears TD was a nifty play as he took it away from receiver Mason Tipton, got up and followed his blocking.

However, he got run out of bounds by the quarterback, Rattler. That's like getting stopped by the punter or the kicker.

Drew Dalman's double clutch

Caleb Williams and Dalman both were taking blame for the second aborted play on a bad snap in the game, but one that was much more critical to the Bears' effort in the game.

The thing is, the play was ugly but it was one of those things so ugly it's beautiful.

The double clutch meant the play was dead before Williams fumbled the snap on a fourth-and-goal with Ben Johnson gambling again.

At the time, a field goal made it a nine-point lead but Johnson never wastes an opportunity to gamble and was going for the touchdown at the risk of having the Saints drive 99 yards for the lead. That may not sound likely, but they had driven 91 yards for their first TD.

So, ultimately the double clutch worked to the Bears' favor because it put the ball just outside the 5 and forced Johnson to send in kicker

Officials calls

Jaquan Brisker getting 15 yards for roughing the passer when he got a hand up on top of Rattler's helmet on a first-half sack was once again a bad call. It was an inconsequential move of the hand to the top of the helmet after his big hit and officials are supposed to be mindful of whether the contact is incidental like this.

Even worse, Kyler Gordon got flagged for putting a big hit Alvin Kamara after a catch.

There was no contact with the helmet by Gordon and the flag was thrown by an official well in back and across the field, away from the play.

"I used my shoulder," Gordon said. "I like to say I did my job.

"They (officials) didn't like it."

In the end, neither one came back to haunt the Bears. Just three plays after Brisker's penalty wiped out a short third-and-28 incompletion, Wright picked off Rattler's pass at the Bears 32 and returned it 37 yards. After Gordon's big hit, the Saints drove to the Bears 42 but a fourth-and-1 tackle for loss by Sweat and Edmunds ended the drive.

The Bears had 10 penalties for 92 yards. That’s five more flags for 62 more yards the Saints.

The Bears have been flagged for more penalties than their opponents in every single game this season.