The New Orleans Saints put themselves back on top of the NFC South with a convincing 31-15 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
The Bears got off to a bad start as Jay Cutler's pass hit off the hands of Martellus Bennett and was intercepted by Patrick Robinson.
Fortunately for the home side, the Saints gave the ball straight back as Nick Toon fumbled the ball on the goalline following a hit by Brock Vereen.
Both sides continued to struggle on offense throughout the first quarter, and it took until the start of the second for either team to get on the scoreboard.
It was the visitors who did, as Drew Brees fired a short pass to Josh Hill, who ran over for an eight-yard touchdown.
Chicago were stagnant on offense and even tried a fake punt to get their side moving downfield, but that failed as Danny McCray was tackled short of the first down marker.
The Saints extended their lead just before the break when Brees led his team downfield with a series of short passes before firing over the middle to Marques Colston for a nine-yard score.
Cutler had one late chance to drive his side into field-goal range, but saw his deep pass intended for Marquess Wilson picked off by Pierre Warren inside the 10-yard line, ending a miserable first half for the quarterback.
In the second half, the Saints continued to pile the agony on the home side as Brees drove his team downfield again before finding Hill for a seven-yard score on exactly the same play as his first strike.
Sean Payton's men put the game beyond doubt when Warren notched his second interception of the game, which culminated in Shayne Graham firing a field goal over the posts from 25 yards.
The Bears did give their fans something to cheer about in the fourth quarter as Cutler found Wilson in the endzone for a one-yard touchdown, while the quarterback then fired to Bennett for the two-yard conversion.
However, the home side failed to challenge New Orleans' dominance late in the match as Cutler was sacked time and again by the Saints' defense.
The visitors killed the game off when Mark Ingram found space over the right side of the line to sprint in for a 15-yard score.
There was time for a consolation touchdown in the dying seconds when Cutler found Alshon Jeffery on a fade route, but it was much too little, too late for Marc Trestman's side.
Simon Sinclair
