One of the most fascinating storylines with the Chicago Bears in 2026 is that, despite all the injuries and setbacks this defense has had, they are still putting together some great performances, including their Week 6 win over the Atlanta Falcons, thanks to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
The Bears entered this game without several key defensive starters who should have held them back. They didn't have Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyrique Stevenson, and Coby Bryant.
Even with the chips stacked against them and facing one of the NFL's top three running backs, the Falcons' Bijan Robinson, Chicago still came through. Allen deserves a ton of credit for what he did to make life tough for Atlanta.
Dennis Allen's defense came through for Bears with one of his most impressive coaching jobs
Chicago's defense has been known over the last year for keeping teams out of the end zone but giving up a ton of yards. Against the Falcons, they gave up 23 points but held the Falcons' offense for most of the game.
Atlanta gained 257 total yards on offense. The most impressive part, though, was that Robinson had a season-low 61 yards. Granted, the Falcons ran the ball with him only nine times, but aside from a 23-yard run, the defense kept him in check for most of the game.
The Bears' defensive front deserves a ton of credit for their performance despite missing two of its top pass rushers. They generated 22 pressures and sacked Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. five times.
Chicago's brightest star on the defensive line was Daniel Hardy, who is typically more of a special teams ace, but in Week 6 was a force on defense. Hardy led the team with five pressures and also recorded three tackles, two quarterback hits, one pass deflection, one tackle for loss, and one sack.
Even more impressive is that Allen deserves a ton of credit for using his secondary and linebackers to get to the quarterback and for creative play calls that made it hard for the Falcons' offensive line. Eight of the 22 pressures came from the secondary, and three came from the linebackers.
Kyler Gordon and Clark Phillips III, who haven't really played this year, dominated with seven pressures between them. Gordon was a monster, posting three sacks and two forced fumbles in the win. With rookie Dillon Thieneman adding one quarterback pressure, one quarterback hit, and one sack, the Bears have a secondary that is just as lethal at pressuring the quarterback as it is at work in coverage.
Speaking of the secondary, how about them allowing just a 57.6% completion percentage in the game? The contest featured six pass deflections, thanks to a much-improved performance from Jaylon Johnson and rookie Malik Muhammad.
Allen deserves praise for this game despite the final quarter, but keep in mind one of those touchdown drives was on a short field. 16 points looks bad, but Chicago still held their own.
Why Allen deserves praise for moving players around and managing the game without four starters on the field: getting Gordon back was obviously a major reason they played well. Still, having other guys like Hardy and Phillips, who don't usually play much, step up and look good is another big reason Allen deserves his time in the sun.
Read more: Luther Burden III proved in Week 6 that he's Bears' WR1 (not Rome Odunze)
The defense could have closed out the game better, but they didn't allow much yardage and forced three fumbles, including on the final drive. Allen coached a masterful game and deserves a pat on the back for his performance. The hope is that he can carry that over to the Week 7 game against the New England Patriots.
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