Despite being 7-2 and looking like Super Bowl contenders, even the great Chicago Bears have work to do, particularly in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit.
The Bears' defense has been night and day compared to last season, with the front seven looking like a top-10 group. Their secondary could use some work, but it's starting to improve.
Allen has three key changes he needs to make on defense to take this unit from very good to elite after they come off their bye week. Here are those changes he needs to make.
3 changes Dennis Allen must make during the bye week with Bears' defense
Malik Muhammad needs to be a full-time starting outside CB over Tyrique Stevenson
Muhammad has missed the last two games due to a toe injury and hopes to return fully after the bye week. He practiced on a limited basis last week, so he looks good to be back, and he would return at the perfect time.
Stevenson has been banged up over the last month and has been struggling all year. He has allowed a 55.9% completion rate, a 129.5 passer rating, and four touchdowns this past season.
Muhammad's numbers have been much better, allowing a 54.8% completion rate, a 79.9 passer rating, and one touchdown. He also has a sack and an interception in seven games.
There could be a question about whether Muhammad should replace Jaylon Johnson, since he has struggled too. The Bears' Week 9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers featured a great game by Johnson, who had an interception and allowed just one completion on five targets, so if he's turning a corner, he should keep his job.
Stevenson is in the final year of his rookie contract, and Muhammad was the Bears' fourth-round pick from this year's draft. It seems obvious that Muhammad is the best coverage corner on this team and should be a full-time starter. The Bears should invest more time in him and let Muhammad start, with Stevenson as a backup.
Daniel Hardy needs to get more reps in the rotation at edge rusher
Hardy has been known more for being a special teams ace for the Bears over the last few seasons. After Dayo Odeyingbo's trip to IR and Montez Sweat's two-game suspension, he moved up the depth chart and has since proven himself worthy of more snaps on defense.
This season, Hardy has played just 80 snaps on defense, accounting for 16% of snaps in those nine games. He has racked up 15 tackles, nine pressures, five quarterback hits, four hurries, two sacks, one tackle for loss, and one pass deflection. Pro Football Focus gave him a 71 overall grade, a 66.2 pass-rush grade, and a 67.3 run-defense grade.
While the Bears have been getting Hardy in the game more, they have to play him even more now. He's got an incredible motor when he gets off the line and has played just as well as Austin Booker, Odeyingbo, and Sweat have this season. It's time to play Hardy more and give him a role on this defense.
Dennis Allen needs to fully embrace blitzing despite not wanting to
Allen has never been a fan of blitzing, preferring to rush four defensive linemen and leave his secondary to do the work. The problem is that the Bears' secondary has really struggled against Johnson and Stevenson. This season, Chicago has the fourth-highest explosive-play rate allowed in the NFL, at 6.8%.
That has forced Allen to change his play-calling strategy a bit. Instead, over the last month, this unit has been blitzing a lot more. He has sent defensive backs like Dillon Thieneman, Kyler Gordon, and Malik Muhammad on blitzes, and that strategy has paid off.
Gordon is second on the team with four sacks. Even the linebackers have gotten in on the action, with Devin Bush putting up two sacks this season. Chicago is currently 10th in the NFL in blitz rate, at 32.4%.
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To Allen's credit, he has been clever with his blitzing schemes and in throwing off offenses. That strategy has really made this Bears defense look like a much different unit than what fans saw last year. While he may not be a fan of blitzing, it's working, so he should do more of it in games and copy what the Minnesota Vikings are doing. That will help them succeed and take pressure off the secondary.
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