Gauging Bears Defensive Progress

Of course coach Matt Eberflus is taking little credit, even if it's apparent his contribution as play caller has made a difference in this Bears defensive turnaround.

As the leader, he's naturally going to point to others and did. However, there has actually been solid play for three straight weeks by a Bears defense incapable of this in the early season.

"I would just say it's really teamwork," Eberflus said. "Really is. Working together, having that continuity. I believe getting the secondary pieces back really helps us in terms of coverage variation, matchups, being able to process through that as coaches and players."

The secondary did get hit right away with injuries and it had an impact on their third-down failures.

They allowed 57.3% conversions on third downs the first five games, and 18% (4 of 22) the last two games. Not coincidentally, they got back Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson from injuries when they brought down the third-down rate.

"Honestly, overall, I think it's just the guys that are coming together," cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. "I don't think that he's really changed too much. I think that the plan, the mission, has been the same.

"I know we made some adjustments on third down, but I feel like other than that just the attitude of the guys, the execution that we're playing at, is a lot different these last few games."

On an individual basis, rookie Tyrique Stevenson had struggled but suddenly has figured it out. His passer rating against has dropped from the 140 range to 118.6 in a few weeks. It's still too high and five touchdown passes allowed can't be removed from his ledger. He's also naturally going to be picked on with Johnson on the other side, but he's made strides toward fixing earlier issues and that's what rookies need to do.

Gervon Dexter Sr. among Rookie DTs since week 5:
- 77.3 overall grade (1st)
- 76.5 pass rush grade (2nd)
- 7 pressures (T-1st)
- 78.6 true pass rush grade (2nd)
- 5 hurries (T-1st)

He’s coming… pic.twitter.com/HbFMnPVWO8
— I🧸 (@ilannfl) October 26, 2023

The Bears have done all this without safety Eddie Jackson directing the back end and with inexperienced Elijah Hicks at safety for the equivalent of five full games, although it appears Jackson could be on the verge of returning from his foot injury now.

Improvement Has Been Pervasive

The defense was 20th against the run after Week 3, and now is fifth against the run. That's the same defense ranked 31st against the run last year.

Linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi pointed to the defensive line and linebackers as critical in this regard. Again, an injury had an impact as Tremaine Edmunds missed virtually all of preseason and much of training camp with an injury.

"Played just a little bit in the preseason," Borgonzi said. "The more games he plays, the more comfortable he is with the defense.

"You can really see it. He’s playing fast, physical. Really like where he's at right now."

Remove the heart of the defense, the middle linebacker, during an important growth period and it naturally sets back progress.

The defensive line has begun to pick up the one-gap front more now with T.J. Edwards and Edmunds playing off them at linebacker.

"Those guys have done a tremendous job, (Andrew) Billings, Double-J (Justin Jones), those guys have really done a good job," Borgonzi said. "It really cleans it up for us at the second level."

Finished with Struggling

Johnson called simply being fed up with losing and poor play a critical aspect of the improvement.

"I would say aggression, hunger and wanting to win and wanting to get that nasty taste out of our mouth," Johnson said about keys

This is easy to discount but in Bears history there is evidence of it. Mike Brown famously complained loudly in the locker room in 2005 about how poorly they had played to start the season and how he was fed up with it. Teammates agreed. The Bears defense did a 180 and began playing in a way that allowed them to go on a run to the division title and then the next year to the Super Bowl.

"We know that we were under-performing so really just getting back to who we are, running out there, attacking, being aggressive, flying around, having energy," Johnson said.

The madness is in their method, though.

What Eberflus has done has allowed them to be aggressive and fly around. Seeing their lack of pressure on quarterbacks, Eberflus went to the blitz. They're now 22nd in blitz percentage at 23% after they were last in the league at 14.1% before the win over Washington three weeks ago.

"For me, just seeing him all those years in Indy, it kind of feels like the same," said Borgonzi, who came along to Chicago with Eberflus. "It's both the execution and the call. So, obviously his intensity, the way he calls a game, he's got a great feel for in-game calling. It's made a real difference."

The more aggressive approach also pertained to coverage.

"I mean just as far as, like I said on third down, going more dime, being in more man, being more tight," Johnson said. "In the end, you've got to be able to go out there and execute that."

They've allowed fewer points in each of the last three games and only 17 per game in those three, which came against the 20th, 11th and 27th ranked offenses.

It worked to blitz, so it's possible they'd show more this look Sunday night against the eighth-ranked Chargers offense, the second-best attack they've faced statistically.

"To be honest with you," Borgonzi said. "It's kind of a week-to-week thing. Some weeks are better for that than others. It goes to a game-by-game basis."

The reasons for the success are less critical than the need to continue what is working.

Litmus Test

The next two games represent a big step up for the Bears defensive improvement.

Justin Herbert is the best passer they've faced since Patrick Mahomes carved them up in Week 3.

"I’ve been playing the guy for a long time," Johnson said. "I played him a few times in college. To me, there’s not anything that he can’t do. He can throw the ball a hundred yards, he can run, he can scramble, he has accuracy and he’s got weapons he can get the ball to. I definitely have a lot of respect for his game."

The only thing lacking in the defensive resurgence is a consistent pass rush from the front four.

Still, Kirk Cousins had trouble against them as the Vikings offense could manage only 12 points playing for the first time without wide receiver Justin Jefferson. It was the same Vikings offense that one week later scored 22 to beat the 49ers, whose defense was supposed to be the best in the NFC and maybe the league.

So much more will be known about where the defensive progress stands after two road games against the Chargers and Saints, who have true multidimensional attacks.

Whether they take lumps and learn or continue surging, it's looking more like the defense the players all seemed to think they could be back when they were trash-talking it up against their own offense during training camp.

"I feel like it's easy to have confidence and swagger in practice," Johnson said. "I think for us, it was having that in a game and being on each other in the game.

"I feel like there’s even times where we have conversations like we need to celebrate when somebody makes a play. Just little things like that, having energy, having effort, that's contagious and it allows you to go out there and ride with your brothers. I think that's what we were missing in the beginning. We weren't aggressive enough as players. I don't think we were together enough. Just (now) going through that and getting back to that tightness, that tight-knit group we know we can be."

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