Jaylon Johnson doesn't hold back when explaining what the biggest problem has been for the Bears' defense lately
The Chicago Bears have found themselves in a dark place again with everyone clambering all over each other looking for answers to get back on track.Offensively, the Bears have been playing their best football of the year under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and it's surprisingly been the defense that hasn't been able to hold […]
The Chicago Bears have found themselves in a dark place again with everyone clambering all over each other looking for answers to get back on track.
Offensively, the Bears have been playing their best football of the year under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and it's surprisingly been the defense that hasn't been able to hold up their end of the bargain.
Since the bye week in Week 7, the Bears have allowed 23.2 points per game and 395.4 total yards per game compared to 16.8 points per game and 292.0 total yards per game over the first six games of the season.
The unit has started to tumble on a downward trend with each passing week, the complete opposite of what the defense was showing this time last year.
While speaking with the media on Monday, Bears' star cornerback Jaylon Johnson was very blunt about what's causing the growing issues on defense.
"I would honestly say it starts with the up-front in the run,” Johnson explained on Monday. “I feel like we’ve been giving up a lot of run yards and then I feel like explosive plays really have been killing us. I think overall, outside of that, we’re good. Third down we’re good, in red zone. I think just those two things have held us back from being who we know we can be.”
Johnson couldn't be more right. In four of the Bears' previous five games, the defense allowed over 120 yards on the ground, including a season-worst 213 rushing yards allowed in Week 9. The Bears have been getting gashed early on the ground in these games which is allowing big plays to open up downfield as the game goes on.
For example, in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears allowed 70 of the Vikings' 124 rushing yards while Sam Darnold had just 62 passing yards. In the final three quarters plus overtime, the Vikings had just 54 rushing yards and 268 passing yards.
Overall, the unit is still playing decently well though. Compared to the rest of the league, the Bears are 8th in points per game allowed, 7th in third down percentage, and 4th in red zone percentage entering Monday Night Football.
"I would just say that we need to get tightened up on the details and do things better," Eberflus said. "There's not a magic pill there. There's never is. It's just about tightening things up and doing it better. And as a group, coaches, players, all of us together. And if we do that, we'll be okay."
In the meantime, the Bears are losers of five straight games and can't seem to get out of yet another rut under the current head coach while frustrations continue to grow.
“Of course [frustrations are] getting high,” Johnson added. “We’re on a what, five-game losing streak? So I mean none of this ideal. Nobody walks around, well, I don’t walk around with a smile on my face. There ain’t nothing to be happy about. So, I mean, obviously my frustration is at a high. Everybody’s frustration is at a high.”
A win against the red-hot Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving will certainly quell some feelings in the locker room, but that's easier said than done considering the Bears are set to be double-digit underdogs on the road.
Opposing players continue to bury the Chicago Bears’ coaching staff for not properly addressing a very obvious concern
How do you let this happen twice in a row?
