The Chicago Bears are awaiting MRI results on quarterback Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury suffered in Week 2’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and the next few hours will be critical in determining how long the Bears offense could be without its star.

But lost in the noise of a three-point offensive performance and the Williams injury news is the defensive turnaround that deserves attention. Dennis Allen’s defense held the Vikings to just nine points after surrendering 37 in the season opener, and that kind of improvement could determine whether Chicago stays afloat over the coming weeks.

“They came out flying around, and I thought we had a great plan on that side of the ball, made things challenging,” Ben Johnson said after the game. “We always talk about wanting to outrun and outhit our opponent, and it felt like we had 11 guys around the ball for the majority of the game, so that was good to see.”

Bears’ defensive rebound is what the Bears needed to see on Sunday

The Bears offense under Ben Johnson proved it is in fact human on Sunday. Caleb Williams may have been a week early when he claimed after Week 1 that the season-opening domination would be the worst game the offense played all year. Because what they showed in Week 2 better be the worst performance of the year from that unit.

Sloppy weather, self-inflicted penalties, and a tough matchup against Brian Flores’ defense all factored in, but mustering three points in the loss is not the performance this offense needed, regardless of Williams’ status. That needs to get cleaned up before the Bears play the Philadelphia Eagles a week from today.

The good news is, after the Week 1 debacle, Allen’s defense looked like a different unit at Soldier Field on Sunday. The Bears kept Minnesota out of the end zone, and mostly out of the red zone, tightening up across the board. The pass rush generated 11 total pressures and three sacks on Carson Wentz, getting after the quarterback in a multitude of ways.

“I think we played physical up front, and we were sticky in coverage for the most part,” veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “I think we had a good showing today, something to definitely build off of. Like you said, definitely wanted to win, but I’d be remiss to not acknowledge the growth that we had this week.”

Dennis Allen was in his bag against Kevin O’Connell

Allen went blitz heavy on Sunday, and it paid off. Cornerback Malik Muhammad II came in on a blitz and recorded a sack while adding two pressures. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson had a nice pass rush rep on a corner cat that created havoc in the backfield, and it should have led to a takeaway after linebacker Devin Bush dropped back to the outside couldn’t come down with the ball in the wet conditions. It would have been a huge play, but the pressure scheme was still forcing Wentz into tough situations all afternoon.

There are caveats, of course. The Vikings were without three starters, including their starting quarterback, and the same sloppy weather that hamstrung the Bears offense also limited what Kevin O’Connell’s group could do. And the defensive front still struggled to generate pressure without the blitz, something that needs to be adjusted going forward.

Can the Bears continue building off that game defensively?

Whether Williams misses one week, four weeks, or an extended stretch, this defense is going to have to continue playing at the level it showed in Week 2. I have no doubt in the offense’s ability to rebound from Sunday’s performance, with or without Williams. The bigger question is whether the defense can sustain this kind of effort week after week.

Allen’s unit had a lot of advantages working in its favor against Minnesota and holding offenses out of the end zone every Sunday is not going to be realistic. Still, the improved effort the unit showed this week deserves recognition.

They’re getting there. The improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 was significant, and Allen appears to be finding the right buttons to push with this group. If the Bears want to stay competitive while the uncertainty around their quarterback situation plays out, this defense needs to be the engine that keeps them in games.

Give credit where credit is due for what Allen’s unit showed on Sunday, even if there is still some work to be done before they reach the standard this coaching staff has set.