All the issues that have plagued the Chicago Bears' defense over the course of the season came crashing together as the team lost to the Detroit Lions on a last-second field goal, 19-16, in Week 18.
Despite having an interception in the game caught by Kevin Byard, the Bears' defense allowed 433 yards, with the Lions holding on to the ball for over 35 minutes. The secondary, in particular, struggled, allowing 311 yards in the loss.
After the game, a member of that same secondary, Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, was asked by reporters about the defensive performance. Brisker wasn't shy about letting it be known that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen got outcoached.
"We were playing a whole bunch of man today," Brisker said via 670 The Score's Mark Grote. "No help in the middle. Lotta picks and rubs. Really, they schemed us up, and we had to do a better job covering. They just got us in the right call. They just out-schemed us, just being honest.”
How much of the defensive performance is on Dennis Allen versus the Bears players?
There were a lot of times where Allen had the cornerbacks backed up nearly 10 yards away from the line of scrimmage, giving the Lions' receivers plenty of space to run the routes. It felt as though the Bears were playing not allow the big play to happen.
Some of the performances of the cornerbacks on the Bears, though, were rough to watch. Jaylon Johnson allowed six receptions on seven targets for 81 yards, Nahshon Wright surrendered four receptions on five targets for 68 yards, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson was hit with six receptions on eight targets for 93 yards.
It was a lot of the same problems that led to the Bears' 52-21 loss to the Lions back in Week 2, as well, with the secondary struggling to stop the pass. Lions quarterback Jared Goff was able to pick apart the Bears' defense with ease.
For the regular season, the Bears' defense is now ranked 29th in total defense (361.8 yards allowed per game), 22nd in pass defense (227.2 yards allowed per game), and 27th in rush defense (134.5 yards allowed per game). Those are not the type of numbers needed from a playoff team.
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Allen will have to go back to the drawing board, as the Bears' defensive struggles continue, with no solutions in sight at the moment. The Bears' only hope is to create more turnovers, and that all starts in the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers.