The beginning of the Ben Johnson era in Chicago has not gone according to plan. Chicago got demolished by Detroit 52-21 in a lopsided game featuring Johnson's return to his former team. After just two games, it seems that Chicago's defense could be a huge problem this season.
Adam Levitan of Establish The Run highlighted an alarming stat that shows how bad Chicago's defense has played through two weeks.
“#Bears have faced JJ McCarthy and Jared Goff. They're 32nd in yards per play allowed (7.1),” Levitan wrote on Monday. “#Packers have faced Jared Goff and Jayden Daniels. They're 1st in yards per play allowed (3.7).”
The common thread here is the shared matchup against the Detroit Lions. But the rivalry between Chicago and Green Bay makes this stat even juicier.
The Packers absolutely throttled the Lions in Week 1. Green Bay only allowed 246 total yards in the season opener, a truly dominant performance.
Green Bay then followed that up by only allowing 230 total yards against the Commanders on Thursday Night Football.
Meanwhile, the Bears gave up more than both of those games combined against the Lions on Sunday.
Thankfully Chicago has plenty of time to right the ship before their first game against Green Bay on December 7th.
What exactly is wrong with the Bears' defense in 2025?
The Bears have not found their rhythm on defense early in the 2025 season. But what is going wrong?
Chicago has a lot of continuity on the roster, but they still have a few new players. For example, Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo are both new starters on Chicago's defensive line.
But perhaps more importantly, the Bears have a new defensive coordinator in Dennis Allen.
The entire defense is learning a new scheme, which is never a seamless process. Bears fans can still hold onto hope that Allen and Johnson's coaching will begin to take root later on in the season.
The Bears have also been dealt a number of defensive injuries, which does not help.
Both CB Jaylon Johnson and LB TJ Edwards left Week 2 early after reaggravating past injuries. CB Kyler Gordon also missed Week 2 entirely.
All of this puts pressure on Chicago's depth players during a crucial part of the regular season. Hopefully the Bears can find themselves soon, or else the season could turn ugly.
Next up for the Bears is a Week 3 matchup against the Cowboys.
