CHICAGO — The last time the Bears defeated the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 11, 2008, Caleb Williams was just 7 years old.

During that era of Bears football, the team was known for its defense and ability to run the football. In the 2025 matchup, the Bears resorted to that type of football and defeated the Saints 26-14 to secure their fourth consecutive win.

The Bears finished with 222 total rushing yards and forced four turnovers as they improved to 4-2 and dropped the Saints to 1-6.

Here are five Bears players who raised and lowered their stock in the NFL Week 7 game at Soldier Field.

Stock up: Montez Sweat

The veteran defensive end made an immediate impact with his forced fumble on the Bears’ second defensive play of the game. He tracked down Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler and dislodged the football, which Gervon Dexter Sr. recovered deep in New Orleans territory.

Chicago turned the takeaway into a field goal, but Sweat wasn’t done. He made a nice run stop on third-and-8 on the Bears’ next defensive series to force a Saints punt.

Sweat later had two consecutive big stops that resulted in the Saints turning the ball over on downs on their sixth possession. He tackled Alvin Kamara for a 1-yard gain on third-and-2, then teamed up with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to drop the New Orleans running back for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1.

Sweat finished with four tackles — two for loss — two QB hits, one sack and the forced fumble.

Stock up: Kevin Byard III

The Bears’ veteran safety continues to create turnovers.

In the third quarter, Rattler tried to extend a first-and-10 play by telling wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to take his route deep. But the QB overthrew his target, and Byard tracked down the ball, caught it and got a knee in bounds to complete an interception.

Byard now has four interceptions, tied with Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd for the NFL lead this season.

Stock up: D’Andre Swift

The Bears running back put together another impressive performance with 19 carries for 124 yards — both season highs — and a second-quarter touchdown that gave Chicago a 13-0 lead.

Swift also ripped off 17- and 15-yard runs on Chicago’s opening drive of the second drive. The Bears finished that drive with Jake Moody’s third field goal of the game, and they never looked back.

The Bears’ passing game was inconsistent, so the ground attack provided some stability for the offense. Rookie Kyle Monangai added 81 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries, as Chicago racked up a season-high 222 yards on the ground and Swift posted his second consecutive 100-yard-plus game.

Stock up: Colston Loveland

The rookie Bears tight end was flagged for a questionable pass-interference penalty in Monday night’s win over the Washington Commanders. He was flagged for another questionable PI penalty against the Saints.

Despite that, Loveland made several positive plays, including some key blocks on the drive that ended in Monangai’s first NFL career TD.

Two plays before Monangai scored, Loveland had a 9-yard reception on third-and-7 to keep the drive alive. He also helped finish the game with an 8-yard reception on fourth-and-3 with 2 minutes left, allowing Williams to take two kneel-downs that ran out the clock.

Stock down: Caleb Williams

Stats never tell the full story when it comes to a player’s performance, but in this case, the Bears QB’s line reflects how he played.

Williams completed just 15 of 26 passes for 172 yards with one interception, as the Bears’ passing game never found its rhythm in the wet, slippery weather conditions.

Williams was fortunate that his middle-of-the-end-zone throw to DJ Moore in the fourth quarter was intercepted.

Williams made fewer mistakes than Rattler, but he’ll have plenty to fix after he watches the game film.

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