This weakness could be a major problem for the Bears in the playoffs

Defending slots receivers has been a pain for Chicago so far this season. Will that flaw get exposed flaw in the playoffs?

Dec 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) makes a catch against Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright (26) in the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears are one game away from locking in the No. 2 overall seed in the NFC, especially with the news that Philadelphia plans to rest most of its plays against the Washington Commanders this weekend.

Despite their loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, their stock remains plenty high now that Caleb Williams and the offense are hitting their stride.

But as we also saw against the 49ers, the defense is a problem. The front four simply doesn’t get enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and that’s begun to trickle down toward the team’s pass coverage. The Bears’ most recent losses have highlight a particular issue they haven’t had an answer for: defending slot receivers. Whether it’s the likes of Ricky Pearsall, Jayden Reed, or Christian Watson roasting defenders out of the slot, the results haven’t been good, according to ESPN’s Aaron Schatz.

“The Chicago defense has not been as strong as the Denver defense overall, but the Bears have the same weakness: defending against opposing slot receivers. Only the Jets allowed a worse DVOA to opposing slot receivers, and no other team has allowed more yards per attempt (9.1) or total touchdowns (13) than Chicago.

“However, according to my coverage DVOA metric, the issue is not the main slot defender, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who joined the team in Week 9. The problem is when opponents can get their slot receivers onto other defenders -- primarily cornerback Nick McCloud, safety Jaquan Brisker and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.”

The Bears’ play out of the slot has been a revolving door for much of the year due to Kyler Gordon’s balky legs. Though he’s not much a speed demon himself, he’s proven better able to stick with faster receivers across the field than his replacements. If he’s back and healthy for the playoffs, this might not be as big an issue as it has been.

Plus, as Schatz also mentioned, only Tampa Bay out of the team’s potential playoff opponents targets slot receivers much. However, that doesn’t mean teams like the Rams might not put the likes of Davante Adams in the slot to work on weaker defenders inside.

The bigger problem with the Bears’ defense is up front, not in the slot. But if they can’t figure out how to adjust to their weakness in that area, they’re going to keep giving up a ton of points in the playoffs.

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