Well that was ugly.
Unlike our beloved Denmaster, I do believe in such things as ugly wins. But one thing we all agree on is a win is a win and going into our BYE week at 7-2 is as good as it gets since the letdown in Lambeau back in week 5 that feels like ages ago.
Considering the Chicago Bears are on the verge of a certain level of success the franchise hasn’t experienced in decades thanks to Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, I am going to leave them out of this piece from now on – as it is a given
that both were instrumental to Chicago’s success. Go ahead and throw in All-World DT Jeffery Simmons into that category too.
Instead, I will be highlighting 3 other factors that contributed to Chicago’s win or loss. So let’s get to it.
1. Devin Bush
Though it’s been a while – we Chicago Bears fans have seen our share of exceptional linebacker play over the years. That’s not to say we haven’t seen flashes of brilliance from guys like T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds and even Jack Sanborn. But what we saw out of Devin Bush on Sunday night reminded me of prime Roquan Smith when the All-Pro roamed the middle for the Monsters of the Midway before he was shipped out to Baltimore.
Similarly built at right around 6ft and 230lbs, both players provide unusual explosion from the position with an uncanny ability to zoom past reaching guards and/or tackles to blow up runs behind the LOS while also covering the middle of the field from sideline to sideline in the passing game. Ever since the arrival of Jeffery Simmons, Bush’s talents have been on full display and that continued against the Buccaneers. Whether it was blowing up a ball carrier on 3rd or 4th down for a loss or absolutely de-cleating Emeka Egbuka on a jet sweep, Bush was a force to be reckoned with, and I don’t think we win that game without him. Bush posted season highs in stuffs (tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage) and passes defensed Sunday night, and I would imagine those marks will be surpassed before we reach the playoffs. It is clear to see why Bears GM Ryan Poles brought in the former Michigan Wolverine, and Chicago will need more games like that if they want to make a deep run at the Lombardi Trophy.
2. 3rd Down Defense
I could have said Dennis Allen here, but that isn’t specific enough for my liking. Additionally, Allen calls the plays but the players have to execute so it’s a team-effort with coaches included. Prior to Sunday nights game, Tampa was 38% on 3rd downs on the season. Against Chicago, Tampa went 2 for 12, which is 16.7%. That is a remarkable stat that shows how Chicago’s defense truly impacted the game.
Additionally, only 1 of Chicago’s 4 sacks and neither interception came on 3rd down – meaning the team is playing technically sound and effective football when it matters most without relying on the big play or turnover like they seemed to do a year ago. Again, that can absolutely be credited to the coaching staff but the way these players were flying around on the most important down of a drive is encouraging. Especially after giving up 2 TDs and almost 5 yards per carry and 100 yards to Bucky Irving. They say 3rd down is the money down and if Chicago wasn’t as successful against Tampa on 3rd downs Sunday night – there is no way they win that ball game.
3. Jaylon Johnson
This one was harder than I expected as Cam Lewis, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III were all deserving. But at the end of the day, the pick-6 that Jaylon had absolutely was the difference in this game. Though Chicago turned the ball over 5 times, not one of them was returned for a score like Jaylon’s 67 yard interception return was and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Up by 4 points with Tampa primed for another drive, Jaylon put Chicago ahead with an 11-point lead, and they would never look back. After the disappointing season that Jaylon has had, it was great to see him read and react so quickly and snag the INT before racing more than half the field for a score. If Jaylon Johnson can use this game as a springboard for the rest of the season, it would be a huge boost to this defense and team down the stretch. It was easily his best game of the season and a great thing to see for Chicago’s CB1.
