Chicago Bears Week 13 dud No. 2: Defensive line
At this point, it is almost impossible to ask the Bear to win a game considering how bad the defensive line is. Sure, you can say that there is no real talent on the line, but the guys who are playing are not even playing to their level. Guys like Trevis Gipson, Dominique Robinson, and Al-Quadin Muhammad are getting little to no pressure on quarterbacks. With the depletion of starters in the secondary due to injury, the defense is being asked to cover guys while Aaron Rodgers sits back there and waits for someone to get open.
Every game the opposing teams are way too comfortable on third down and it leads to easy conversions. Even when blitzes are being brought the guy’s up front are not winning their one-on-ones. The Packers were missing David Bakhtiari this week and they did not take advantage of rookie Zach Tom playing left tackle. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams is yet to figure out this defensive line and it has been a failure all season.
The run defense also is spotty with glimpses of improvement then just letting up big runs in clutch moments. Both Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon struggled to find anything in the first half, but Dillon ran all over the defense in the second half, including the big touchdown he had in the third quarter.
The defensive line has not just been bad, they have been worse than bad this season. It is the biggest weakness on the team, and it is a position that makes the defense worse because of their underperformance. The front office needs to address this position and bring in a star to beef up the offensive line. They need to sign and draft players for this position group.