Grading Bears Defense For A Season Spent Taking Away The Football

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — When Bears protect coordinator Dennis Allen went retired to shingle hands pinch nan Rams, coach Sean McVay took it beyond normal postgame sportsmanship to uncover a truth.

"Hey unbelievable job, you kicked our ass. Great job," McVay told Allen.

Only nan Texans' awesome defense and nan Ravens held nan Rams to less points successful nan 2025 play than nan 20 nan Rams had successful nan Bears' season-ending loss. The defense kept the Bears successful it contempt their own offense turning it complete 3 times.

The Bears didn't get a azygous takeaway successful nan divisional playoff, and it had oftn been said they couldn't triumph games without takeaways. They already proved this wholly incorrect earlier erstwhile they won 22-16 successful overtime complete nan Packers without a takeaway.

"Our defense played their tails off. They did," Bears coach Ben Johnson said erstwhile it was all over.

The Bears defense lacked plentifulness erstwhile it came to earthy numbers and unit successful 2025, but connected a fixed down they produced what was necessary. More than thing else, that included producing nan football.

No 1 took it distant amended and it kept them from losing games. That and a willingness to deed made for an effective defense,

"I thought we had DBs that were consenting to tackle," Ben Johnson said, erstwhile it was over. "I thought that showed up these past 2 games successful particular. I’m really proud of that."

Here is nan protect study paper for 2025.

Defensive Line: C

The scheme went astray from nan commencement erstwhile Dayo Odeyingbo didn't make nan anticipated effect disconnected nan edge, and Grady Jarrett suffered a knee injury. Montez Sweat bounced backmost from a down twelvemonth pinch 10 sacks and 13 tackles for nonaccomplishment while achieving much accordant unit and tin still do more. Austin Booker began to travel connected successful his past six games pinch 4 1/2 sacks, 8 QB hits, 15 pressures and 3 tipped passes per Stathead/Pro Football Reference. It greatly improved nan walk rush. What was lacking past was a 3rd beardown separator rusher and accordant interior statement play against nan tally and nan pass. Grady Jarrett made 26 of his 45 tackles successful in is past six games, displaying amended knee health. The quality betwixt Gervon Dexter's walk unreserved and run-stopping expertise is growing, but not wholly because he's a amended walk rusher now—he had a bad twelvemonth stopping nan run. Dexter is still young, talented and needs to beryllium coached better.

Overall, nan Bears defense classed 29th successful ESPN's walk unreserved and tally extremity triumph rates. This is mostly nan consequence of protect statement failure, but besides because nan Bears' method connected nan D-line asks them to do thing difficult to execute that runs contrary to that statistcs. That is complaint into nan blocker, past determine whether to onslaught into a gap. It works, but requires plentifulness of believe reps to propulsion off. The affirmative is they played their champion astatine season's end, and tin amended pinch much help.

Linebackers: B-

If you spell by PFF grades, Edmunds had a tremendous comeback twelvemonth astatine stopping nan run. PFF graded him 15th successful nan convention among linebacker tally stoppers while moving to nan weakside spot this twelvemonth alternatively of nan middle, a profession best. However, his walk sum grades were mediocre. Considering they classed 27th against nan tally this twelvemonth arsenic a squad and allowed 5.0 yards a carry, it's a bully point Edmunds was this effective aliases they'd person had nary tally defense astatine all. Despite mediocre walk sum grades, Edmunds did make 4 interceptions and a fumble recovery. T.J. Edwards played efficaciously successful sum erstwhile it wasn't a perceived strength, was 33rd of 88 linebackers against nan run, but conscionable wasn't disposable capable owed to injuries.

Injury ended Noah Sewell's play early, arsenic well. The pleasant astonishment was D'Marco Jackson. He had spectacular walk sum grades, above-average grades stopping nan tally and is personification they could person beardown liking to retain, arsenic a subordinate who knows nan strategy well. Everything nan linebackers did this twelvemonth needs to beryllium graded pinch a curve. At 1 point, each 4 of nan apical linebackers were retired pinch injuries, and different backup arsenic well. 

Secondary: B+

Considering nan magnitude of injuries astatine cornerback and full games lost, they're overmuch for illustration nan linebackers. Still, they did execute contempt nan handicap. Until mid-December they were 11th successful passer standing against and nan ultimate grounds of a beardown play was their league-best 33 takeaways. Nahshon Wright gave up large plays (6 TDs) and made large plays (8 takeaways) but his wide passer standing against was a respectable 86.8. Kevin Byard's All-Pro play included some a league-high 7 interceptions and activity needed erstwhile truthful galore games were mislaid astatine cornerback to injuries.

Tyrique Stevenson had precocious highs and debased lows again, arsenic always, and Jaylon Johnson displayed awesome courageousness coming backmost from room to play earlier he was 100%, but evidently he lacked his normal velocity and agility. Jaquan Brisker vanished astatine highest accumulation against nan Rams but connected nan twelvemonth allowed a career-worst passer standing against of 127.6 and gave up 5 TD passes, according to Pro Football Reference. DBs made 17 of nan 23 interceptions and had six fumble recoveries.

Overall: B-

Too galore times those occurrence comebacks nan discourtesy needed to make came arsenic a consequence of protect breakdowns. They gave up cardinal drives to nan Rams, 49ers, Packers and Lions astatine nan extremity of games. Finishing 27th against nan tally and 29th wide is not a measurement to succeed. However, becoming nan first squad to some triumph nan takeaway title and perpetrate nan fewest turnovers since 2011 was a redeeming grace. And their capacity wide was not arsenic bad arsenic their stats suggested. Their mediocre 23rd ranking against nan tally is greatly deflated by 3 bad protect game, 1 that was retired of manus and 2 shootouts they split. They held 9 opponents to 20 points aliases less.

There are evident flaws astatine stopping nan tally and rushing nan passer to reside but a beardown guidelines of past accomplishment has been put down for 2026. Another twelvemonth successful nan strategy should beryllium a immense help, for illustration it will beryllium connected offense.

Next: Special teams

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