As much as the Chicago Bears identity under Ben Johnson has become their high-powered offense led by quarterback Caleb Williams, but now their defense is tarting to come around following the acquisition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
In their Week 9 victory over the Buccaneers, it was the Bears offense that held the team back, with Williams throwing four interceptions but ultimately, the defense won the game with Jaylon Johnson's pick-six of Baker Mayfield.
The Bears defense as a whole only allowed two touchdown, holding Tampa Bay's offense to just 2-5 in the red zone, in a game where they had to come up big with their backs against the wall. Bucky Irving and the Buccaneers ground game has been on fire over the last few weeks, and their 126
rushing yards helped carry their offense for most of the night, but Chicago's head coach was very proud of his defense.
After the win, Johnson said he believes the team's defensive performance in the red zone was the reason they came out victorious.
"I think that was really the story of the game was those guys stepping up and it was all the way up until that last one that they finally broke through and scored the touchdown," Johnson said. "But for the four previous ones, I thought our defense did an outstanding job rising the occasion. They don’t bat an eye, they don’t blink. That’s certainly what (Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen) DA preaches on that side of the ball, but I think those guys take a lot of pride in that as well. And we needed that tonight."
Dennis Allen has definitely shined over the last few games in Chicago's victories, especially the last two weeks since the arrival of Jeffery Simmons. If the Bears showed anything in their Week 9 victory, it's that they're now finding balance that if their offense can't carry the successful workload on their own, the defense will certainly be ready to step up and earn the win.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson says Bears' red-zone defense won game vs. Bucs
