On Sunday, the Chicago Bears will host the Detroit Lions at Soldier Fields in a must-win game if the team wishes to keep its fading playoff hopes alive. Although Chicago has only four wins heading into their first contest in December, their defensive play is inspiring hope for a miraculous late-season playoff run. Chicago's defense has forced eight turnovers in the past two games due to a renewed pass rush with defensive end Montez Sweat, but the team will now need fellow defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to step up also.
Yannick Ngakoue Has Not Lived To Expectations When The Bears Signed At The Beginning Of The Season
At the beginning of the 2023 season, the defensive end position was a significant weakness for the Bears as they did not have either Sweat or Ngakoue on their roster at the start of training camp. The best defensive end Chicago had on their roster at the beginning of training camp was Demarcus Walker, who was signed as a free agent during this past offseason. When general manager Ryan Poles signed Ngakoue back on August 3rd, Bears fans were ecstatic as the defensive end was a former Pro Bowler who had recorded eight or more sacks in each year of NFL career.
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Despite the sustained success, Ngakoue is having the worst season of his NFL career this year with the Bears, as he has only recorded three sacks. Although the former Pro Bowler started the 2023 season off on a good note with Chicago, as he had two sacks in the team's first five games, he has only had one since then. Ngakoue was supposed to be the Bears' premier pass-rusher in a defensive scheme that relies on pressure from the defensive line.
Head coach Matt Eberflus' defense utilizes a Cover-2 defensive scheme that relies on pass-rush pressure from the defensive line in order to drop the back seven into pass coverage. Before the Bears traded for Sweat on Halloween, Eberflus' defensive line had generated less than ten sacks, while the unit as a whole had allowed a 300-yard passer in three of their eight games. Since Sweat joined the defense in Week 9, Chicago's defense has not allowed a quarterback to pass for more than 224 yards.
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Poles traded for Sweat because Chicago's defensive line wasn't generating any meaningful pass-rush pressure, and the defense has gotten steadily better week by week since the acquisition. In the Bears' last three contests, they have generated seven sacks, five and a half of which have come from their defensive line. Sweat's ability to take down opposing quarterbacks has allowed others on the line to get opportunities to rush the passer, which has also led to hurried throws and interceptions.
With Chicago being off since November 28th, opposing offenses will now gameplan to take away Sweat as a pass-rusher in the final five games of the 2023 season. The recent play likely means more double teams and pass-blocking schemes focused on limiting Chicago's best pass-rusher. This is where Ngakoue needs to step up and finish the season strong, as he will likely be facing several one-on-one situations for the remainder of the year and have ample opportunity to take down opposing quarterbacks.
Bears Need Ngakoue To Step Up If They Hope To Make A Push For The Playoffs
Despite Chicago only having four wins this year and being a long shot to make the playoffs, they still have a chance to do so, as they have a favorable schedule to end the season. The Bears will play the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Green Bay Packers, with three of the five contests scheduled at home. Other than Green Bay and quarterback Jordan, Chicago's defense has a strong chance of generating sacks and turnovers against the other passers they will face.
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Three weeks ago, Eberflus' defense intercepted Lions' quarterback Jared Goff three times and sacked him twice. Although Goff led the Lions on an improbable come-from-behind victory, Chicago's defensive unit shut him down for most of the game and should have recorded five interceptions on the day instead of three, as cornerback Jaylon Johnson dropped two potential interceptions, including one that could have been returned for a touchdown. The Bears' next game will be against the Cleveland Browns, who could be starting their third different quarterback this Sunday in as many weeks.
With the slate of winnable games to wrap up the season and Chicago having a top-ten defensive unit, Ngakoue must start to generate sacks against vulnerable quarterbacks. Other than Kyler Murray and Love, Chicago's defensive line will have a chance to consistently apply pass-rush pressure as several of the play-callers are suspectable to being taken town. Whether it's Goff, Joe Flacco, or Desmon Ridder, Ngakoue has no reason, especially with Sweat's presence, not to have multiple sacks over the next five games.
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