Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints: 2005 Week 9 Recap

Game story

In Week 9 of the 2005 NFL season on 2005-11-06, the Chicago Bears took care of business against the New Orleans Saints, pulling away with a 20–17 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 10 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

K. Orton (Chicago Bears) paced the passing game, with -8.19 total EPA.

On the individual side, M. Muhammad (Chicago Bears) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +7.28 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-21.5% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when New Orleans Saints changed the game: (8:47) 2-A.Brooks pass to 27-A.Stecker to CHI 13 for 7 yards (31-N.Vasher). FUMBLES (31-N.Vasher), RECOVERED by CHI-46-C.Harris at CHI 13. 46-C.Harris to NO 38 for 49 yards (83-D.Stallworth). Play Cha

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 M. Muhammad · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +7.28 total EPA · 3 snaps · +2.43 EPA/play
2. 2 D. Stallworth · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +5.09 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.70 EPA/play
3. 3 J. Gage · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +4.71 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.18 EPA/play
4. 4 A. Peterson · Chicago Bears · Rushing · +4.64 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.77 EPA/play
5. 5 N. Poole · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +3.97 total EPA · 1 snaps · +3.97 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Horn · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +2.98 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.49 EPA/play
7. 7 Z. Hilton · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +1.42 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.71 EPA/play
8. 8 A. Hakim · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +0.97 total EPA · 1 snaps · +0.97 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Chicago Bears — J. Gage (K. Orton pass) (Q1 51:31)
• New Orleans Saints — D. Stallworth (A. Brooks pass) (Q2 40:04)
• Chicago Bears — A. Peterson (Q3 22:40)
• New Orleans Saints — A. Brooks (Q4 7:52)

Field goals

• New Orleans Saints — J. Carney (Q1 57:31)
• Chicago Bears — R. Gould (Q2 30:27)
• Chicago Bears — R. Gould (Q4 0:10)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 7–3. New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the CHI 3 (Q1 57:31) — (12:31) 3-J.Carney 22 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-T.Bouman.; Chicago Bears found the end zone from the NO 4 (Q1 51:31) — (6:31) 18-K.Orton pass to 12-J.Gage for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q1 51:26) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

The second quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–3. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the CHI 15 (Q2 40:04) — (10:04) (Shotgun) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, Run 13; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q2 39:57) — 3-J.Carney extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-T.Bouman.; Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the NO 17 (Q2 30:27) — (:27) 9-R.Gould 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

The third quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 7–0. Chicago Bears found the end zone from the NO 6 (Q3 22:40) — (7:40) 29-A.Peterson left tackle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q3 22:29) — 9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

The fourth quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–3. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the CHI 1 (Q4 7:52) — (7:52) 2-A.Brooks right end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the CHI 2 (Q4 7:44) — 3-J.Carney extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-T.Bouman.; Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the NO 10 (Q4 0:10) — (:10) 9-R.Gould 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• New Orleans Saints (Q1 53:47) — (8:47) 2-A.Brooks pass to 27-A.Stecker to CHI 13 for 7 yards (31-N.Vasher). FUMBLES (31-N.Vasher), RECOVERED by CHI-46-C.Harris at CHI 13. 46-C.Harris to NO 38 for 49 yards (83-D.Stallworth). Play Cha [WPA -21.5% · EPA -7.00]
• New Orleans Saints (Q3 28:27) — (13:27) 32-A.Smith right tackle to NO 23 for no gain (91-T.Harris). FUMBLES (91-T.Harris), RECOVERED by CHI-43-M.Green at NO 20. 43-M.Green to NO 20 for no gain (70-J.Brown). [WPA -16.3% · EPA -5.30]
• Chicago Bears (Q2 31:07) — (1:07) 18-K.Orton pass to 87-M.Muhammad to NO 24 for 33 yards (22-F.Thomas). Pass 27, Run 6 [WPA +15.7% · EPA +2.34]
• Chicago Bears (Q4 1:52) — (1:52) 18-K.Orton pass to 87-M.Muhammad ran ob at NO 10 for 22 yards. Pass 21, Run 1 [WPA +15.1% · EPA +2.19]
• Chicago Bears (Q4 0:10) — (:10) 9-R.Gould 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard. [WPA +14.3% · EPA +0.24]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New Orleans Saints (Q1 53:47) — (8:47) 2-A.Brooks pass to 27-A.Stecker to CHI 13 for 7 yards (31-N.Vasher). FUMBLES (31-N.Vasher), RECOVERED by CHI-46-C.Harris at CHI 13. 46-C.Harris to NO 38 for 49 yards (83-D.Stallworth). Play Cha [WPA -21.5% · EPA -7.00]
• New Orleans Saints (Q3 28:27) — (13:27) 32-A.Smith right tackle to NO 23 for no gain (91-T.Harris). FUMBLES (91-T.Harris), RECOVERED by CHI-43-M.Green at NO 20. 43-M.Green to NO 20 for no gain (70-J.Brown). [WPA -16.3% · EPA -5.30]
• Chicago Bears (Q2 38:48) — (8:48) 18-K.Orton sacked at CHI 39 for -5 yards (24-D.Smith). FUMBLES (24-D.Smith), touched at CHI 39, RECOVERED by NO-98-W.Whitehead at CHI 39. 98-W.Whitehead to CHI 39 for no gain (63-R.Garza). [WPA -13.4% · EPA -4.75]
• New Orleans Saints (Q2 38:41) — (8:41) 2-A.Brooks pass intended for 89-L.Hall INTERCEPTED by 92-H.Hillenmeyer at CHI 38. 92-H.Hillenmeyer to CHI 38 for no gain (89-L.Hall). [WPA -12.7% · EPA -4.32]

Quarterback report card

K.Orton led all passers in efficiency for Chicago Bears, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• K.Orton (Chicago Bears) · 31 dropbacks · 38.7% completion · -0.26 EPA/play · -8.19 total EPA
• A.Brooks (New Orleans Saints) · 30 dropbacks · 53.3% completion · -0.34 EPA/play · -10.27 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Chicago Bears generated the better offensive EPA per play (-0.07 vs -0.13), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Chicago Bears: 14 drives, -6.15 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• New Orleans Saints: 15 drives, -10.72 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Chicago Bears leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• M. Muhammad (Chicago Bears) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q1 57:31 · CHI 3 · Score 0-3
   (12:31) 3-J.Carney 22 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-T.Bouman.
2. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q1 51:31 · NO 4 · Score 6-3
   (6:31) 18-K.Orton pass to 12-J.Gage for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
3. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q1 51:26 · NO 2 · Score 7-3
   9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
4. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 40:04 · CHI 15 · Score 7-9
   (10:04) (Shotgun) 2-A.Brooks pass to 83-D.Stallworth for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, Run 13
5. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 39:57 · CHI 2 · Score 7-10
   3-J.Carney extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-T.Bouman.
6. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q2 30:27 · NO 17 · Score 10-10
   (:27) 9-R.Gould 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
7. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q3 22:40 · NO 6 · Score 16-10
   (7:40) 29-A.Peterson left tackle for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q3 22:29 · NO 2 · Score 17-10
   9-R.Gould extra point is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.
9. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 7:52 · CHI 1 · Score 17-16
   (7:52) 2-A.Brooks right end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
10. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q4 7:44 · CHI 2 · Score 17-17
    3-J.Carney extra point is GOOD, Center-47-K.Houser, Holder-4-T.Bouman.
11. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q4 0:10 · NO 10 · Score 20-17
    (:10) 9-R.Gould 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-65-P.Mannelly, Holder-4-B.Maynard.