We know the Chicago Bears defense is good. But how good are they?
If you are a Chicago Bears fan, you have to love what you have seen on the defensive side of the ball. The offense is still a work in progress and it’s fair to question Mitch Trubisky’s development to an extent, but defensively, this defense is everything fans could have hoped for.
It’s no longer a question of if this defense will be a top unit among the NFL, but just how good are they. Is this defense the best in the NFL? That argument could be made. Could this defense set some NFL records or at least some team records? That’s also a possibility.
Here are some fascinating stats to examine:
Pass Rush
With the addition of Khalil Mack, the Bears have a relentless pass rush. The pass rush isn’t Mack as a one-man wrecking crew. So far, they’ve tallied 10 sacks in two games, but they’ve done it with eight different pass rushers. If the Bears keep that pace up, they would tally 80 sacks this season. The NFL record is one that the 1984 Chicago Bears hold with 72.
Yes, it’s only two games and the Bears will have days where they aren’t living in the backfield like they have been, but as of right now, they are on pace to set the record for most sacks in NFL history. This pass rush is for real.
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Defensive Touchdowns
The 1998 Seattle Seahawks have the NFL record after they scored 10 defensive touchdowns in a season. After two weeks, the Bears are eight away from the NFL record. The Bears’ Khalil Mack rumbled to the house in week one against the Green Bay Packers, and in week two, Prince Amukamara read a Russell Wilson pass and jumped the route and gave the Bears a defensive TD for the second week in a row.
Defensive touchdowns are a bit fluky and it’s hard to really say after two weeks that the Bears are going to be able to score 11 times, but right now they are on pace for 16 defensive TDs. It’s tough to imagine the Bears will manage to pull this record off, but for a defense that didn’t make impact plays and cause turnovers the last few years, it’s clear that has changed.
The Bears probably won’t keep scoring defensive TDs at this rate, but having somewhere around five to eight defensive scores is definitely within reach.
Yards & Points Allowed
The Bears defense currently sits at 646 yards allowed on the season. That’s good for eighth in the NFL. If you take away the Bears 99 yards that they allowed on the final drive against Seattle when they sat in the prevent, that number drops all the way to 547, which jumps them to fourth.
The Bears defense hasn’t been as stout in the fourth quarter as they have been through the first three quarters. Whether that’s because they have faced two of the top five QBs in the league thus far in Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson or because the defense isn’t quite in full game shape yet because it’s early in the season, it’s hard to tell, but what this team has accomplished in the first three quarters is otherworldly.
Through three quarters, the Bears allowed only 80 total yards to the Seahawks last week. In week one against the Packers, they allowed 127 yards through three quarters. Through those same three quarters, the defense has only given up six total points.
Fully admitting that this is picking in choosing stats, but eliminating fourth quarters, the Bears have given up 207 yards and six points. If the defense continued at that clip, what does that mean? That’s a defense that gives up 138 yards per game and allows 4 points per game.
Again, you can’t pick and choose and ignore fourth quarter statistics, but it does give you a glimpse into how good this defense can be. 138 yards per game and 4 points per game is what a defense gives up on the rookie level on Madden. Those are not stats that an NFL team should even approach.
It’s very early in the season and a lot can change over the next 14 games, but also keep in mind Khalil Mack is still just learning the defensive scheme and has the potential to get better and Roquan Smith is another key piece to this defense and he has one career start under his belt and will continually improve all season long.
This defense has faced two of the top five QBs in the NFL, has a new piece still learning the scheme and a rookie who has only started one game and has stats that are already that impressive. This defense is legit. If they stay this relentless and improve like it appears they can, this defense will be one of the scariest units this league has seen in some time.
That will make for a fun season, Bears’ fans.