Many Bears fans know that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen finds himself in a tough spot. His defense ranks pretty much in the bottom five in every category outside of takeaways.
Despite a massive injury that decimated his unit for the entire season, his defense has either kept the team in the game or won many of them. But the last few weeks have been ugly.
Bears' defense struggled to the finish line vs. Packers
His defense has been gashed both on the ground and through the air. And for the first two quarters, Allen looked like a coach facing questions about his future as the Packers scored three touchdowns on three consecutive drives to take a 21-3 lead at halftime in the NFL wild-card game.
The defense was flat, disorganized, and had no chance of slowing down quarterback Jordan Love and their offense. When head coach Ben Johnson started going for it on fourth down, especially from their 32-yard line early in the second quarter, much to the chagrin of many.
But Allen and his defense made adjustments in the second half, forcing three three-and-outs on the Packers' first four possessions of the second half, igniting their comeback win. The improvement was noticeable. The run defense in particular was stout, only giving up six yards on seven carries.
More importantly, the defense limited them to one touchdown by rookie Matthew Golden, while limiting the Packers to just two-for-nine on third downs in the second half. Nickel Kyler Gordon was activated just before the game, but did not see any action in the first half, came in the second half and made a huge difference.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was the first time in weeks the Bears' defense looked competent. And it came at a moment when Allen desperately needed a response from them. If Chicago had folded, even those who supported Allen because he did not have the right personnel all season would have been upset by the defensive performance, and the conversation this week would have been about possible replacements for Allen.
His unit now must go up against Sean McVay and the explosive Los Angeles Rams, led by Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, and Puka Nacua. Let's not forget Sean McVay has long been a thorn in Dennis Allen’s side.
The most infamous example is the 2018 NFC Championship Game, in which a referee blatantly missed a pass interference call, which affected the game's outcome. Allen was the Saints' defensive coordinator at the time, and you can bet that game still eats him up to this day.
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Allen's defense showed heart, discipline, and adaptability when it mattered most against the Packers.
While playing at home in extremely freezing and windy weather will help the Bears, the defense cannot afford another slow game.