The Chicago Bears have a strong defense, ranked in the top 10, but they are not satisfied with how they’ve played so far this season.
The defense has kept the team competitive while the offense has struggled, as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams adjusts to the NFL. The Bears (2-2) secured both of their wins with crucial interceptions in the final moments.
“Honestly, we haven’t been good enough,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. “Quite honestly. I feel like we definitely haven’t taken away the explosive plays that we want to. We definitely let some of those go.
“We definitely have got hit on some of our runs. Just not being disciplined, not being where we are supposed to be consistently.”
With eight takeaways, the Bears’ 10th-ranked defense is third in the league, and they have the second-best passer rating at 69.0. Thanks to Gervon Dexter’s three sacks and two each from Darrell Taylor and Montez Sweat, they’ve improved their sack total to 10 after finishing near the bottom in the previous two seasons.
Taylor joined the team in a trade with Seattle just before the season started, adding another pass-rusher to the rotation and allowing for more flexibility in positioning. Sweat has also been lining up in different spots for the first time since joining the Bears in a trade last year.
“Those two guys have the ability to affect a quarterback, and certainly Montez can win from anywhere on the defensive line,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said.
“We like the versatility that Darrell brings to the table … and hopefully we can just continue with our (different) alignments to generate one-on-ones in critical times.” This defense may not have many big names, but it has several skilled players.
“I think the best part about our defense is anyone on the defense can have a big game at any moment,” Sweat said. “It’s kind of like give or take, who’s going to show out on Sunday. It’s like a surprise.
“This past week, I mean obviously you saw (safety Jaquan Brisker) jump out a lot on tape. I feel like they kind of snubbed him on a player-of-the-week type of deal. He had a sack, lots of tackles, a pick, and a pick called back.”
Before the season started, Bears defensive players mentioned they wanted to be in the top five in the league. Since they won’t face their rising NFC North rivals until later in the season and are currently up against teams with poor records from previous years, they could make significant progress.
They are set to host Carolina on Sunday and then play Jacksonville in London before facing Washington, Arizona, and New England.
However, they have struggled in one unexpected area. They currently rank 18th against the run after finishing first last year. “We’re leaking,” Sweat admitted.
They have allowed 119 rushing yards or more three times. On Sunday, they will face Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard, who has had back-to-back 100-yard games.
“We just have to go back to that and make sure we own our specific areas on the field,” Washington said. “The premise of our run defense is single gap control. We’re not a two-gap system. And so that’s a simplistic way of looking at it, but it really comes down to that: Control your area.”
While the offense is still trying to find its identity, at least the Chicago defense has one. “Last year, for us, was about trying to find our identity as a whole,” Johnson said.
Sweat helped bring the team together last year after they signed linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards in the offseason.
“We’re more of a unit,” Johnson said. “Our energy and all that is coming together.”
