There was widespread offseason speculation that the Chicago Bears defense would be a bottom-10 unit this season. The defense was also viewed as a top regression candidate, particularly because of the amount of turnovers they produced last season.
Those concerns seemed valid after Week 1, when the defense gave up 37 points and 478 yards to the Carolina Panthers.
However, the defense has looked different over the last two weeks. The Bears allowed just three points to the Minnesota Vikings in the second
half of Week 2 before shutting out the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half on Monday night.
According to Fox Sports, through the first three weeks of the season, the Bears defense ranks seventh in scoring defense, allowing 17.7 points per game. In total defense, they rank 15th.
Pro Football Network also ranked the unit tied for seventh, per its Defense Impact metric.
After a rough showing in Week 1 followed by two strong defensive performances, the question now is which version of the Bears defense we can expect to see each week and what has contributed to its recent success.
When asked about the defense’s turnaround from Week 1 to the last two weeks, Bears head coach Ben Johnson said, “We’re going to continue to get better as far as I’m concerned. We got great competition on all three levels, and I would say, still, we’re trying to define what the roles are, what the best places are for some of these guys … I think that competition is going to continue to make us better overall. I think DA is doing a great job with these game plans right now, mixing things up and making it challenging for opposing offensive coordinators to call a game.”
He noted that it’s still a “small sample size,” but said that as the Bears play more games, they’ll get a better feel for the identity of the defense.
The New York Jets will give the Bears their next test as they look to build on the defensive improvement they’ve shown over the past two weeks. The Jets enter the matchup ranked 13th in total offense, with quarterback Geno Smith currently leading the NFL in completion percentage.
Can the Bears defense carry its momentum into Week 4 and continue exceeding offseason expectations?
