Chicago Bears Week 8 takeaways emphasize long-term optimism amidst short-term pain
Takeaway 2: The Chicago Bears defense is legit (hail marys not withstanding)
A common theme of this Bears game is trying to figure out if it was even a game. The way the Commanders came out ready to play, a blind viewer would have guessed the team was up 4 scores going into the fourth quarter.
However, the Chicago Bears' defense embodied the definition of "bend don't break" to a tee. Keep in mind that this team was still down two starters in its secondary and suffered injuries throughout the game, including to star defensive end Montez Sweat.
Yet, none of this seemed to matter. The Commanders scored 9 points on 3 early trips to the red zone but were promptly shut down after, with the lone exception of another field goal after a botched fourth and one in minus territory by the Bears offense put the defense in a precarious situation coming back onto the field.
The Bears' defense deserves credit for being the one reliable unit on this team. They were truly the best of the four units on Sunday, but unfortunately, they'll all go down on Jayden Daniels's highlight reel as victims of yet another signature rookie year moment.
In 3 losses this season, the Bears have let up 19 points, 21 points, and 18 points. All on the road, this defense goes anywhere and will continue to keep this team in games, assuming they don't outright win it for them as they did in week 1.