Big-time players step up in primetime games. For the Chicago Bears, their defense did exactly that in their week two matchup on Sunday Night Football in Houston versus the Texans. The Bears held an offense averaging 28 points per game in their last three contests, to just 19 points. They capped the Texans’ strong rushing attack at a mere 75 yards. That’s typically enough to win in the NFL, but the Bears offense struggled. Again.
A Playoff Defense is Born
The Bears’ defense filled up the stat sheet in week two with three sacks, five passes defended, six tackles for loss, four QB hits, and a forced fumble. That’s all fine and dandy, but what stood out about the Bears’ defense, was how they looked. For the second week in a row, Chicago has passed the proverbial “eye test” on defense with flying colors.
There are no statistics for hustle, hard hits, or perfect timing. Bonuses are not given for swarming to the ball or having your teammate’s back. Awards are not issued for flawless technique and adapting on the fly. Certificates are not earned for consistency. However, all those intangible stats are the secret ingredients to formulating a championship-caliber defense.
Bears’ defensive coordinator Eric Washington has done a fabulous job thus far in his first year ever as a DC. Bears’ GM Ryan Poles has given him the personnel necessary to be successful. Along with defensive-minded head coach, Matt Eberflus, Washington has excelled at putting those defenders in positions and schemes that match their skill sets.
Defending The Run
The Defensive line and linebackers leveled up again this week, taking on the challenge of slowing down Joe Mixon and the Texans run game that exploded last week against the Colts. Mixon finished the game with 25 rushing yards on nine carries, gaining 16 yards on just one tote. Texans WR Tank Dell got loose on an end around for 18 yards and RB Cam Akers ripped off a 13-yarder late in the game.
Other than a couple of perfect throws improvised by CJ Stroud while he was scrambling outside the pocket – the Bears’ pass defense didn’t give up very many big plays. WR Nico Collins was the only effective pass catcher for the Texans on the day, finishing with eight grabs for 135. Stroud found Collins for a 28-yard catch and run for a touchdown in the second quarter and the Bears pass defense tightened up after that.
The Bears consistently kept Houston out of the red zone and stopped them on third down. The Texans were only 4-14 on third-down conversions. The Bears defense routinely forced the Texans to kick long-distance field goals of 47, 53, 56, and 59 yards. You can’t ask for much more than that from your defense against a powerful offense. If Fairbairn misses even one of those kicks for Houston, it’s a different game.
Final Thoughts
All the Bears’ defense needs to do is keep on keepin’ on. Most importantly they need to keep their cool with the offense as they work through the bugs and sort out the kinks that are tripping them up early in the season. As long as the defensive side of the ball stays united and rallies around their struggling offense to hold them up when things get down – the Bears should be OK while changes are being made. The Bears have a favorable upcoming schedule, not playing a division game until week 11. Caleb Should be ready by then. Hopefully, the offensive line and playcalling will be too.
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