Bears 2020 schedule: Could Drew Brees' Saints Super Bowl window be closing?

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The game
Week 8 is the Bears’ only scheduled 3:25 p.m. kickoff this season, and they're set to host the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field on Nov. 1. The Bears also hosted New Orleans last season in what was a low point of the campaign, a 36-25 loss that was not as close as the 11-point margin of victory.

It's the Bears' only home game during the Weeks 6-9 stretch, meaning they will go nearly a month without playing at Soldier Field (Oct. 8 vs. Tampa Bay being the previous home date).  

RELATED: Bears 2020 schedule: Game-by-game predictions

Players to watch
The offensive trio of Drew Brees, Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara are the engine of this offense. Thomas is coming off a prolific campaign where he set the record for catches in a single season with 149, but Brees and Kamara will both look to bounce back after tough seasons by their standards.

Brees’ numbers were solid, but he missed more than one game (5) in a season for the first time in 14 years with the Saints thanks to a thumb injury. Kamara averaged a half yard less per touch and had 12 fewer total touchdowns than he did in 2018.  

Additions and subtractions
Adding WR Emmanuel Sanders should be a boon alongside Thomas in the passing game, and bringing back DE Cam Jordan and his 15.5 sacks was imperative on the defensive side. Alongside the returning Brees and Taysom Hill, the Saints brought Jameis Winston into the quarterback room, replacing Teddy Bridgewater as backup.

Safety Malcom Jenkins returns after spending six seasons in Philadelphia, while DBs Vonn Bell and Eli Apple both departed in free agency. The Saints only had four selections in the draft, headlined by Michigan OL Cesar Ruiz.

Key storyline
Brees signed a two-year contract this offseason, but there’s a true chance this could be the 41-year-old's last season. The Saints have been bounced from the playoffs on the final play of the game in three straight years, and haven’t made it back to the Super Bowl since winning it in February 2010. Can an aging Brees stay healthy and productive to make one more run at the Lombardi Trophy?

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