The Chicago Bears' transition from Matt Eberflus to Dennis Allen was not only welcomed, it was desperately needed.
And now, from the looks of another schedule leak, Allen's defense is going to be tested in a tremendous way in 2025.
According to Mark Grote of 670 The Score, the Bears are going to wind up facing the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in back-to-back weeks, and on the road, in Weeks 8 and 9.
Chicago's new-look defense gets a brutal midseason stretch
Having to play both of those teams right in a row, and on the road, is not an easy task for the Bears. These are two of the best offenses in football from a year ago.
In fact, Joe Burrow and the Bengals finished 2024 as the NFL's no. 1 overall passing offense.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens checked in at no. 7 in that department, which is extremely impressive considering they love to run the football between Jackson and Derrick Henry. Jackson not only finished with over 4,000 yards passing, but surpassed 900 rushing yards while sharing the back field with Henry, who went for 1,921 yards of his own.
Needless to say, if the Bears can come out of this two-game stretch having gone 1-1, fans will not only be more than happy, but also pleasantly surprised. This is a tough hand to be dealt for a team that's looking to make a jump from worst to first under a new head coach.
But, Allen is one of the most qualified defensive play callers in the game. If any coach is up to the task, it's him. Don't forget, he was one of the very best (and at times, the best) defensive play callers in all of football before he became a head coach in New Orleans.
Having to defend Jackson and Burrow to go along with the weapons on both rosters is a massive challenge. But, Bears fans should feel a lot better about the defense with Allen at the helm instead of Eberflus.