With Sean Desai running the defense in 2021, the Chicago Bears unit was supposed to take a step back into being a dominant unit. They went back to a Vic Fangio coaching tree coordinator and were looking for a similar spark that Fangio gave the group in 2018.
Of course, one game in and that did not happen at all. After giving up 34 points and getting rocked by explosive passes against the Rams, many wondered what Sean Desai was actually doing to improve the unit. Worse than that, Khalil Mack had a quiet game. What happened?
Then, the group bounced back in a big way against the Bengals. They picked off Joe Burrow multiple times and were constantly in the backfield. Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn notched sacks, which is what the team has been waiting for.
While it is a small note, Sean Desai has to be credited for the first sack as well.
How Sean Desai used Chicago Bears defense to attack Joe Burrow
Jonah Williams is a first round pick and Riley Reiff was a free agent buy from the Bengals. They have better tackles than they do guards, and the interior is clearly their issue.
Mack typically lines up over the right tackle, but Desai, a smart coordinator knows that he does not have to stick by this rule.
Looking to expose a matchup, Desai moved mack to the left side, next to Robert Quinn and over the left guard. Mack goes from an experienced veteran at right tackle to the worst blocker of the group.
He also gets to play games such as stunt and twist with Quinn.
Below, Mack beats the guard hard to the outside, opening a huge hole inside for Quinn. Quinn gets the sack, but Mack gets the big assist.
These are small things that Chuck Pagano did not attack last season. He was far too traditional and unwilling to let his top players move around to expose a matchup.
As Sean Desai gets more comfortable with his opponents and calling games we should only see more small quirks to the game plan that will help the Chicago Bears defense be more multiple.