Bear Digest

Collapse in Red Zone Gives Rise to Bears Defensive Concerns

Some of the real strengths of the Bears defense all year were not evident in their first game without Matt Eberflus, which doesn't say much for their final four games.
Gene Chamberlain|
Terell Smith of the Bears pushes 49ers tight end George Kittle out of bounds after a catch in Sunday's game.
Terell Smith of the Bears pushes 49ers tight end George Kittle out of bounds after a catch in Sunday's game. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Is it the Bears' new defensive play caller, simply their own problems stopping tight ends or something more worse, like chiefly that they've quit.?

The Bears defense gave up the most points they have all season on Sunday with defensive coordinator Eric Washington calling defensive plays for the first time.

However, safety Jonathan Owens called the issue more with players and communicating better than with the defensive signal caller, or any fault with the scheme.

"I wouldn't say it's anything with a new play caller because we still have the same defense," Owen said. "We've all been with each other since the spring. The plays are the same. It’s just different flows.

"So, like I said, it just comes down to us communicating and us executing it. That's all."

It was a huge decline in production compared to other games before Washington had play-calling chores.

The Bears were No. 1 in the league in red zone defense, gave up five TDs in six trips within the red zone and dropped to third in red zone defense. They hadn't given up more than three red zone TDs in a game until Sunday and allowed three only twice before facing the 49ers.

They hadn't given up more than six big passes in a game, completions going 20 yards or more. On Sunday, they allowed nine.

"Just really honing in on the details," Owens said. "I think that's what it was. Everybody being on their details, everybody seeing everything the same way.

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The communication part of it might be the real problem. It's a different play caller and the secondary still isn't the one they started the season with, as Owens and before him Elijah Hicks were backups to Jaquan Brisker.

The sdecondary situation can help explain some of the problem but the personnel Sunday was the same as in their previous game.

The Bears gave up six completions for 151 yards to tight end George Kittle. Facing tight end T.J. Hockenson again Monday night at Minneapolis will challenge them after he had seven catches for 114 yards at Soldier Field in the first game between the teams.

Two weeks ago they allowed only three catches for 6 yards to Detroit's Sam LaPorta but two were for touchdowns. Zach Ertz had seven catches for 77 yards against them, Patriots tight ends had four catches for 78 yards. Jacksonville tight end Evan Engram made 10 catches for 102 yards against them in London.

Owens sees them as no more vulnerable to tight end passes than any other position.

"They just had some good play calling," he said. "I mean, he (Kittle) got screens. Those are a big part of his explosives. You do a play action, and you get guys running back, and you run a screen. It was just good play calling by them, so hats off to them.

"But like I said, when we’re all doing our job and everyone is on the same page and being where they’re supposed to be, that’s really how you stop that. So I wouldn’t say it’s like a thing with tight ends. I give it to the play calls. They had a couple good calls. They called screens on good downs, and they just kind of catch you whenever you might be dropping back in zone or you might be doing a blitz, they might catch you on a screen."

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.