Bears must snap ugly trend in Week 3 and prevent Dak Prescott from becoming the latest QB to torch what’s been a disappointing defense
It won’t be easy.
Make no mistake about it. The Chicago Bears will have their work cut out for them defensively in Week 3 going up against the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott.
Over the last two weeks to open the season, the Bears’ defense has looked beyond disappointing. Especially in the last five quarters the unit has played between the fourth quarter of Week 1 and the 52-points allowed in Week 2.
As a result, an ugly trend has developed involving Chicago’s defense. The NFC Offensive Player of the Week in each of the first two weeks played against the Bears’ defense in J.J. McCarthy and Jared Goff. Chicago can’t afford to let Prescott make it 3/3 on Sunday.
Bears defense needs to step up against Dak Prescott in Week 3
Through the first two weeks of the season, it’s hard to find a quarterback playing consistently better than Prescott. The Cowboys starting quarterback has been making ridiculous throws all over the field and the little nuances of his game make him a difficult player to prepare for.
“When I see a quarterback utilize cadence the way that he does, and I know that’s a little thing, but he’s got total control of the field,” head coach Ben Johnson said on Wednesday. “He’s looking to manipulate the defense, he’s looking to control them. Hopefully, we’ll have a loud crowd [at Soldier Field] on Sunday that combats his ability to use that cadence to our disadvantage.
“This is a guy that’s seeing the field really well right now. He’s trying to move defenders around. When you have an experienced player like that, that’s a dangerous thing.”
After hearing an endorsement like that, the Bears need to prioritize getting Prescott uncomfortable at the line of scrimmage before he’s able to manipulate the defense and pick them apart like Goff did in Week 2. Finding a way to do that consistently has been a struggle thus far for the defensive front.
“We haven’t affected the quarterback on a consistent level these last two games,” Johnson explained. “That’s something we’re focused on, how do we get that done? We have a number of guys that have the ability to win one-on-ones and we just need them to do that more consistently. And there’ll be times, maybe we pressure a little bit more too.”
Ultimately, the team is expecting more out of the two highly-paid edge rushers in Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo to simply do their jobs. Win one-on-ones and create some pressure on the quarterback. If it continues, the defense will have no choice but to add some pressure elsewhere.
All of which puts strain on a depleted secondary. Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson is now out indefinitely. Standout nickel Kyler Gordon missed each of the last two games and could be in jeopardy of missing Week 3 as well. Which leaves Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright, and Nick McCloud as the starting cornerbacks. All three players are allowing 12.0+ yards per target this season.
It starts up-front. If the Bears can’t get pressure on Prescott and knock him off his game, it’s going to be a long day defensively on Sunday and another potential NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod.
Dallas Cowboys News
The Cowboys are going to get exactly what they need from the Bears to get their second win of the 2025 NFL season
Big Dak game ahead.
