The Chicago Bears made a statement against the New England Patriots, where things were ugly at times but offense, defense, special teams and coaching played key roles in the 30-24 win.
The defense was down several starters, including defensive end Montez Sweat, but there were some key players who stepped up. But the defense stepped up against the run, where they held New England to just 70 rushing yards (where Drake Maye was the leading rusher with 26 yards). For the fourth game in a row, the Bears held their opponent to 70 rushing yards or less. However, head coach Ben Johnson still wants to see the Bears improve up front as the season progresses.
“It starts with technique and fundamentals, and that’s something that we’ve been harping on up front
from the springtime,” Johnson said. “I think we continue to improve in terms of our strike and our shed and our ability to bottle up and not create running lanes. We’re setting the edge a little bit better as a defense, better than maybe we were to start the season … And then we talked about the playstyle. I think that’s really what it comes down to. We want all 11 defenders in the frame at the end of the play. And when that happens, normally we have a pretty good run defese. We’re going to continue to harp on those things.”
Chicago will play their next game against the Seattle Seahawks, who have struggled to run the ball so far this season. However, they are expected to have running back Zach Charbonnet back for this game. Rookie Jadarian Price will also be eligible to return for their Monday night game against the Bears, potentially offering a unique challenge for Chicago.
On the other side of the ball, the Bears will hopefully have running back Kyle Monangai back after missing the past three games due to turf toe. Chicago’s efficiency on the ground has severely decrease since Monangai went out, although they still have a least 115 rushing yards in four games this season.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson sounds off on Bears' run defense vs. Patriots
