I'm not so sure about the Bears' offense.

All year, the defense couldn't seem to stop the pass and the run in the same game. It was one or the other. On Thursday, the maligned defensive players were stopping both. They tackled. They filled gaps. They batted down passes. They got a sack.

The Saints went through a stretch where they lost 6 yards on seven straight first downs. We're talking passes and runs. That's a well-prepared defense executing.

Even better, the defense twice made major plays. Season-turning plays. Adewale Ogunleye intercepted Drew Brees in the red zone, and a bunch of them assaulted Pierre Thomas on fourth down. We've been asking these guys to make big plays commensurate with their salaries. We finally got it.

Most telling about the stop on Thomas was the Saints turtled. When they lost ground trying to go up the middle on third-and-short, the Saints told everyone that the Bears' defense owned the line of scrimmage. Owned it.

So the Saints were stuck trying to run a toss play. It lost 5 yards. And it should've lost the game right there.

But no. Both times the defense made big plays, Kyle Orton followed with interceptions.

All of a sudden, the Bears were down on their home field with their playoff hopes whipping in the wind. And it was up to Orton -- the two-interception, one-fumble Orton.

And he delivered, hitting eight of 11 passes to get Robbie Gould close enough to kick the game-tying field goal. Then he did it again in OT, moving the Bears from their own 30 to get Gould close enough to kick the winner.

The Bears' offense went through another ugly second half, making no plays when it wasn't making bad ones. But those guys made enough plays to make sure the Bears' defense didn't make them walk home.

srosenbloom@tribune.com

Want more Rosenbloom? Of course you do. Read him every day during the work week at chicagotribune.com/rosenblog