The Chicago Bears may not have claimed victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, but Grady Jarrett and the defense certainly rebounded from their Week 1 effort in Carolina.
In that opening contest against the Panthers, the defense needed the offense to be every bit as good as it was in their 59-point outburst. The defense, for its part, allowed nearly 500 yards of offense including 125 on the ground (5.7 average) and more than 360 in the pass game. While the weather in Week 2 certainly helped them in the same way it may have stifled their offensive counterparts, it may not have been the conditions alone that allowed a Week 2 rebound for the defense.
"Just working, having a good week of preparation," Jarrett said. "I think coach gave us a really
great plan going into this game. I think we played physical up front. And we were sticking to our coverage, for the most part. I think we had a good showing today; something to definitely build off of. Like you said, definitely want to win. But I'd be remiss to not acknowledge the growth that we had this week."
Jarrett didn't make a particularly notable contribution on the stat sheet, but he was part of a unit that demonstrated significant growth between the two weeks. After their struggles in Carolina, the Bears held Minnesota to 119 yards rushing (4.3 average) and less than 150 yards through the air. Conditions (and the loss) notwithstanding, that they were able to stifle the Vikings' offense and hold them to a trio of field goals feels like an important foundational step for this group moving forward.
With Caleb Williams set to miss time, there is going to be even more of an onus on the defense to hold their own when they're on the field. Sunday was an important step with an offense of higher quality and, ideally, improved conditions awaiting them on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Grady Jarrett sounds off on Bears' defensive rebound in Week 2
