One thing Dennis Allen is not is fooled. He isn’t one of those people who look at the stat rankings and assume his job is about to get easy. The Philadelphia Eagles may only be 23rd in passing this season, but the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator isn’t stupid enough to assume that means they’re not a threat. The Eagles offense is loaded with quality pass-catchers, headlined by A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. That doesn’t include the sneaky dangerous Jahan Dotson.
Stopping them is no easy task, which is why the latest news from Ian Rapoport is so welcome. The Bears are activating cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon off Injured Reserve. Both will play on Friday. It will be the first time the two star defenders have played together all season, and it will be the closest Chicago has been to full strength in the secondary since last year. The timing couldn’t be better as they stare down the defending Super Bowl champions.
Dennis Allen can finally deploy some of his most lethal stuff.
One thing that was always clear about his defenses in New Orleans was that he preferred to rely on man coverage. It permitted him to throw more creative pressure packages at opposing quarterbacks, often to great effect. That hasn’t been possible this season because of the injuries. Having Johnson and Gordon back changes things. Both are highly capable in man coverage, meaning Dennis Allen can deploy them on almost any receiver and expect them to hold things down. That means Jaquan Brisker, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and the linebackers will have more freedom to attack the quarterback.
It won’t guarantee a victory, but it should make life more difficult for Jalen Hurts, who tends to falter when his protection isn’t clean.
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