Chicago Bears 2021 Season: 10 hot takes resulting in a playoff run

3. The Chicago Bears defense will finish top five in both sacks and takeaways

New defensive coordinator Sean Desai has preached takeaways so much that he invented a little game his team could partake in whenever they secure one: the turnover bucket. Players spent all training camp and preseason dunking the football whenever they took the football away. This is something the Bears have long-needed since the departure of Vic Fangio.

Speaking of Fangio, most should know by now that Desai was Fangio’s number one, right-hand man. Therefore, Desai teaches a lot of the same aggression that Fangio rolled with. The Bears have the talent in place, specifically within their front seven. They are fairly deep both on the line and their linebacking corps.

This unit should be much more active in terms of creating pressure, which would then in turn create takeaways. During Fangio’s last season in Chicago, the Bears led the NFL in takeaways with 36. They also finished tied for second with 50 sacks on the year.

I’m banking on the fact that Desai is Fangio’s protege and that this unit corrects a lot of the lackadaisical play from last season. Between Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith and a hopefully-rejuvenated Robert Quinn, the Bears’ pass rush is going to create all kinds of havoc.