At first glance, the Chicago Bears don't have a good defense. They are 18th against the pass, 32nd against the run, and are 25th in points allowed. There are some reasons for this. Multiple starters have missed significant time with injuries since the season began. Kyler Gordon and T.J. Edwards have yet to play this season. Jaylon Johnson is on injured reserve. The same goes for key pass rusher Austin Booker. On top of that, Dennis Allen arrived with a new scheme that they're trying to learn. Yet despite all of that, something weird is going on.
As of the beginning of week five, the Bears have the league's top defense on third down. Opponents are converting only 29.27%. That is far better than last year's 37.56%. It gets better. A new metric was released, showing a graph that displays a team's blitz percentage and their pressure rate. Not only are the Bears the least blitz-happy team in the NFL, but they also rank just above average in pressure rate. This is despite them having only seven sacks in four games.
How is Allen doing this?
Dennis Allen is working some dark magic right now.
He's missing several key players, and the best ones still on the field aren't producing. Montez Sweat has one sack in four games. Dayo Odeyingbo has had a hot and cold season. Even Jaquan Brisker hasn't made any impact plays since he returned from his lengthy concussion absence. Many feared after the 52-21 demolition in Detroit that this defense was headed for the worst in franchise history. Instead, Dennis Allen somehow made adjustments. The unit is far from great, but they find ways to make plays in key moments. They have eight takeaways in the past two games and have really stepped up in the second halves. It would be great if things were better all around, but what Allen is accomplishing right now should be deeply appreciated.
