Bears ‘no-name defense’ is certainly making a name for itself and a few other names can eventually return to further elevate this unit
The Chicago Bears defense came to play for the third consecutive game and there’s reason to believe Dennis Allen’s could be even better as the season goes on.
The Chicago Bears have won three of their first four games to open the first month of the regular season and Ben Johnson has gotten a lot of the praise, and rightfully so. In Week 1, Johnson’s offense scored 59 points and he’s now won three games with three different QBs.
The way Johnson has rallied this team since the Week 2 loss, and Caleb Williams going down due to injury, has been awesome stuff. But, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen deserves some praise as well for the way his defense has played in the last three games.
“You can almost call them the no-name defense here at this point,” Johnson said on Sunday. “I don’t know if anybody’s super flashy all over the place. But they’re playing really good football as a collective 11 on the field. And we talked about the unselfish nature of our (skill-position players) last week. And I think that certainly applies to that side of the ball as well. All of those guys, they just want to be sound. They want to know exactly what their assignment is and make sure they’re doing right by their buddy.”
Through four games, the Bears rank third in total yards per game allowed and have allowed 9.3 points per game since surrendering 37 points in the season opener. It’s been a night and day difference from Week 1 and a very encouraging sign for this team.
“I think we alluded to our style of play, it showed up,” Johnson added. “It showed up (Sunday) really in all three phases. We’re a physical football team. We take a lot of pride in that. And I think that’s the No. 1 starting point there on defense.”
Names that deserve to be recognized after Week 4’s win
Johnson told reporters after the game that it was hard to single out one particular player that stood out on defense, but did give credit to linebacker Devin Bush. Bush earned the game ball after Sunday’s win and Johnson noted his appreciation for Bush choosing to come to Chicago this offseason as a free agent signing.
Bush is certainly happy with that decision after the way the Bears have been playing and certainly the way Sunday’s game went against the New York Jets, a game in which he recorded four tackles and a sack.
“It’s fun, man. We’ve got to get ourselves into more situations like that so we can get the offense the ball as much as possible,” Bush said. “…Probably one of the easiest NFL games I have played in. I’m not sore at all. So it was great.”
Another shoutout goes to first-round safety Dillon Thieneman, who led the team with seven tackles and extended his team-high total on the season. It’s rare to see a safety get that involved in the tackling department, much less a rookie, and it speaks to the play style he brings to this defense.
“We try to get him around the ball as much as we can just because we know his speed, his instincts. He’s a reliable tackler,” Johnson said last week of Thieneman. “We think all those things, the closer we can get him to the ball, the more playmaking opportunities will come his way… This is a guy that eats, sleeps, and breathes football all the time. He’s always the last guy out there on the practice field doing extra. You can tell it’s adding up each and every week.”
One shoutout goes to defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo, who added two pressures and another sack to extend his team-high total in both stats this season. Odeyingbo has had a bounce back start through four games coming off a torn Achilles and is showing the kind of production the Bears were hoping to see out of him.
Names that can eventually rejoin this defense in the coming weeks
The Bears have players at all three levels of the defense standing out through the first four games of the season, and other players that still need to step their game up more than what they’ve shown over the first month of the season.
That will hopefully come with time, but the most exciting part to consider is the other names that can eventually rejoin this defense in the coming weeks.
For starters, the Bears opened the 21-day practice windows over the last two weeks for DL Shemar Turner, LB Noah Sewell, and most importantly CB Kyler Gordon. All three players are eligible to play starting this week, saying their in game-shape. Gordon is the top name to watch, who practiced in full all of last week, but Turner and Sewell are solid players as well that can add more depth for this unit.
“We got a three-week window, 21 days, to where we can truly evaluate where he’s at physically and make sure there’s no setback. I think that’s step one,” Johnson said of Gordon specifically. “Man, he’s a phenomenal football player… He’s out there right now and we’re excited about what the future could possibly hold.”
Looking further down the line, safety Coby Bryant is another name the Bears are hoping to have back for the final stretch of the regular season. Bryant suffered a knee injury early in training camp that’s expected to sideline him into December at the earliest. He’s itching to get back out there too and would be a major boost for this unit.
This is finally the level of defense we expected to see from Dennis Allen now that he has a few weeks under his belt with guys that fit his scheme. And once the Bears get those other pieces back in the fold, this defense will really turn into a problem. In a good way this time around.
