Skip to main content
Bear Digest

Why No-Name Chicago Bears Defense Can't Be Too Proud of Surge Just Yet

Even with three straight solid Bears defensive performances and only 28 total points allowed, there is an obvious weak spot for opponents to target.
Gene Chamberlain|
Even Jets back Braelon Allen hurt the Bears defense at times before New York couldn't get the ball away from Chicago.
Even Jets back Braelon Allen hurt the Bears defense at times before New York couldn't get the ball away from Chicago. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The Bears shouldn't get too carried away with this "no-name" defensive surge coach Ben Johnson raved about following Sunday's 23-12 win over the New York Jets.

Sure, the defense has shown improvement since the opener when they allowed 37 points to Carolina but benefited from a tremendous offensive explosion. There's no doubt about this. When a team goes three weeks and allows 28 total points in today's NFL, it's a defensive triumph.

In fact, the Bears on defense are fifth in defensive EPA, their passer rating against is third best in the NFL as well as No. 1 over the past three games, and they have even risen to 13th in rushing defense after struggling at this mightily in recent years.

If you look at the NFL statistics for the first "quarter" of the season, the Bears are where a team wants to be at No. 1 on offense and No. 3 on defense.

Well situated, but ...

However, those numbers are more reflective of a team playing tremendous complementary football than they are of the defensive side achieving elite all-around status the way their offense has. There is one underlying flaw they have and it can be exploited greatly in a few coming games, although not necessarily this week at Green Bay.

What has happened is the offense's ball control — No. 1 in the league at 36:35 per game — has helped kept the Bears defense off the field. The Bears also lead the NFL in total plays (74.5 per game). The defense has taken it away enough to get the offense opportunities to hold the ball and score but the defense has also done a great deal right on its own to stop teams.

There is nothing wrong with any of this, but if they are to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender they need to stop the run better.

It's low-hanging fruit for some team to grab against the Bears. A ball-control team, especially a running team with power backs like Atlanta or like Seattle or even New England, can commit to the run and keep it away from the Bears offense as they burn a run defense that gives up too many yards on early downs.

The Bears defense still gives up too many yards on average, anyway. They're tied for 24th in yards allowed per play (5.9) and running game weakness is the big part of this. So are the occasional chunk pass plays allowed, like the touchdown Tyrique Stevenson gave up on Sunday.

Their rushing defense is in the top half of the league and they've had only the second-fewest rushes attempted against them. Yet, they still give up 4.9 yards per run and that ranks 29th in the NFL. It's exactly where they finished last year and a tenth of a yard better per rush.

They give up too many yards before contact to backs as they're moved off the line of scrimmage.

What has allowed them to flourish is their offense putting up points and possessing the ball, while forcing other teams to abandon the run in order to keep up. It's why there are so few rushing attempts against them and why they are so high in rushing defense while giving up so many yards per rush.

The offense is carrying them even though the defense has made strides in areas like the pass rush, where they are tied for eighth in sacks per game, and 14th in ESPN's team pass rush win rate.

If you want to look at a really telling analytic, they are last in the NFL in run-stop win rate (24%).

A defensive approach emphasizing being stout against the run but failing to actually do it can cause a rapid collapse. A team riding on its own offense's ball control coattails and also its own defensive rush-and-cover improvement can have problems when the opponent does commit to the run and also can play a little defense.

The Bears' worst nightmare

Bijan Robinson is coming or, rather, they're going to him.

The Atlanta Falcons mauled the Packers and the Saints in their last two games using power running and play-action passing. It's exactly the way to stop Ben Johnson's team. In other words, give him a taste of his own medicine.

Last week was said the be a "trap" Bears game between strong opponents and after Monday Night Football. The real trap looks now like Atlanta for the Bears, after facing the rival Packers and before consecutive games against Super Bowl teams New England and Seattle.

After the Bears beat the Jets, linebacker Devin Bush said it was "...one of the easiest NFL games I've ever played in. I'm not sore at all."

After seeing his offense hold the ball all day, Bush even said, "I got bored a couple times" when he was on the sidelines all that time.

Considering the Falcons ran for over 200 yards in each of their past two games while pummeling the Packers and Saints, no one on the Bears' defense is likely to be yawning in Week 6.

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Home/News