Montez Sweat does not have a sack for the Chicago Bears this season. This may not be a huge surprise when you consider he was potentially above his expected profile last season. The odds of him maintaining that level of production were not high.
While Sweat has yet to record a sack this season, this is not something fans should be worried about. He is not seeing the stats, but he is still having a pretty big impact on the outcome of games.
Montez Sweat is helping the Chicago Bears defense significantly
First, Sweat's pass rush win rate this season is 13.8%. Last year, when Sweat had his breakout season, it was 12.7%. He is not quite getting home this season, but he is beating his opponent more often. Even if he does not get 12.5 sacks, there is going to be an explosive game or two coming if he keeps winning at this rate.
The most important part of the Montez Sweat effect is that he has been helping the rest of the defensive line win. Teams put extra attention on Sweat which makes all of the other matchups along the line easier. This has continued into year two.
Last year, the Bears had an 18.8% pressure rate, and they blitzed 22.2% of the time to help create that pressure. This year, the pressure rate is up to 31.2%, while the blitz rate is down to 18.2%. They are blitzing less and getting more pressure which is a nasty combination.
Darrell Taylor had a huge Week 1 on the opposite side of Sweat. DeMarcus Walker is having a great year through two games as he is able to move along the line more. Gervon Dexter Sr. has two sacks in two weeks after recording 2.5 sacks in his rookie season. The players around Sweat are performing better, and they are getting the stats this time around.
It is hard to say that all of these players are having breakout years after just two games but it is easier to say that they have all entered an easier situation because of the attention and respect that Sweat is demanding.