So many people were entertained on Sunday watching Caleb Williams and the offense drag the Carolina Panthers defense up and down the field for 60 minutes. Of course, it started with Bears fans, who have never seen an offensive explosion of this magnitude in franchise history. The media certainly couldn’t argue it was easily the most impressive display of firepower to start the season. However, those who perhaps enjoyed it the most were the Chicago Bears‘ defense.
It wasn’t about the scoring itself. Sure, that was great. What made it particularly delectable was knowing that another defense finally got to feel the pain the Bears’ defenders had all summer in training camp. Adam Jahns of CHGO caught their reactions.
“I’m happy to see that somebody else got a taste of it,” cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said.
“The defense, we knew what they were capable of,” rookie safety Dillon Thieneman said. “We go against them every day, but just to see what the (offensive) line and Swift and what Caleb were doing, it was incredible.”
It just didn’t end.
“It was amazing for real,” Stevenson said. “It’s different watching them than going up against them in the offseason and kind of getting hit with the same things: explosive runs, explosive plays, Caleb making plays with his legs.”
There were reports throughout August of the Bears offense making consistent plays in practice. Colston Loveland would torch Dillon Thieneman. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden would take turns torching Tyrique Stevenson. Nobody was immune to it. Ben Johnson had built a well-oiled machine. Now the defense gets to watch others experience the pain for once.
The Chicago Bears defense is certainly in an unfamiliar position.
For decades, that side of the ball has dictated the organization’s success. When you look back at every time this team has made the playoffs in the Super Bowl era, it’s almost always been because the defense was great. Not anymore. Almost overnight, the Bears have become an organization driven by offense. The unit emerged last season to crack the top 10 in both points scored and total yards. They were the reason the team made the playoffs and beat Green Bay in the wild card round. It’s gotten to a point where defense is optional for this team.
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That probably doesn’t sit well with players on the other side of the ball. The defense knows it plays a critical part in helping this team chase a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, that won’t happen with performances like the one on Sunday. The Chicago Bears allowed 37 points, with quarterback Bryce Young throwing for 361 yards. Most alarming about it was the breakdown in the secondary. Chicago’s pass rush had 22 pressures, but it didn’t matter because guys struggled to cover Carolina’s receivers. Stevenson was at the heart of it. Even Jaylon Johnson struggled.
There is good news.
For one, the Bears got some encouraging performances from their draft class. Thieneman led the team with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Cornerback Malik Muhammad had a big interception and forced a 4th down incompletion against Tet McMillan. The pass rush showed up, as mentioned above. It’s also important to remember the defense isn’t at full strength. Safety Coby Bryant hasn’t debuted yet because of the knee injury he suffered in training camp. His return will absolutely help. Maybe Kyler Gordon will as well. If the Bears can stabilize the secondary, this defense should perform much better.
Besides, it’s not like they need to be perfect every week. For the first time in ages, they actually have time to make corrections and find their groove. They know the offense is fully capable of carrying the load. The defense doesn’t have to stop the opponent every time. Just enough times. This team is capable of scoring 30 every week. History says you’ll win a lot of football games that way, whether the defense is great or not.
