The Chicago Bears have passed multiple tests in order to get to the post-Thanksgiving Day portion of the schedule. They enter Week 13 and a date with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in excellent position. They have an 8-3 record and they are sitting in first place in the NFC North.
This team finished in last place a year ago, but first-year head coach Ben Johnson and his coaching staff have gotten the most out Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze on the offensive side. While the offense has gotten most of the headlines to this point, the Bears wouldn't have been able to string wins together if the defense had not held up its end.
In recent weeks, the Bears have been leaning on defensive end Montez Sweat for both big plays and leadership. A quick look at the statistics reveals that Sweat leads the Bears with 7.5 sacks and his closest pursuer on the team is defensive tackle Gervon Dexter with 4.0 QB traps. The difference between the two seems likely to grow, because Sweat has been on a heater.
Montez Sweat has found his stride
He had 2.0 sacks and also recovered a fumble in the Week 12 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sweat has recorded all of his sacks starting with the team's Week 7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Shockingly, he had been kept off the board prior to that game, but he has produced steadily since then. He has had at least 1.0 sack in five of Chicago's six games .
Johnson had been critical of Sweat early in the season. He knew the veteran defensive end was putting in the effort, but he had to do more to get his hands on opposing quarterbacks and finish his plays. Johnson likes what he has seen in recent weeks.
“He's been heating up since the bye week,” Johnson said. “You've just felt it each week. He seems to impact the game a little bit more each week. It's good to see that come on just like that… I think he's just capitalizing on those opportunities. He's been a good player for a long time, it's been really good to see.”
The 29-year-old Sweat is in the middle of his seventh season in the NFL and his third with the Bears. He spent the first 4-plus seasons in Washington, and the 6-6, 270-pound edge rusher appears to be hitting his stride at the most important part of the season. He will need to be at his best in the team's Black Friday game against QB Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
Bears have upgraded on defense despite numerous injuries
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has helped turn the Chicago defense around this season. However, that improvement has not come in the usual statistical models. The Bears rank 27th in yards allowed and 28th in rushing yards given up. Those rankings are the same as last season, when the Bears finished with a 5-12 record and in last place in the NFC North.
However, the Bears are first on the turnover/takeaway table with a plus-16 differential. The Bears have a league-leading 16 interceptions in addition to 8 fumble recoveries this season.
Kevin Byard and Nahshon Wright both have 5 interceptions while linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has 4 picks. Wright took one of his interceptions back for a touchdown in the Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Injuries have taken their toll on the Bears defense, as the starting linebacker crew of Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell were all injured and could not play against the Steelers. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves the way previous Bears teams might have done, the backups and the rest of the defense came through at the key moments.
Defensive end Daniel Hardy is not a starter for Allen's defensive lineup, but he has contributed all 11 games. He explained the mindset the Bears have and their outlook for the rest of the season.
“It’s about how you look at it,” Hardy said, per The Athletic. “When a guy goes down, you don’t look at it like a loss. You look at it as someone else’s opportunity. An opportunity for somebody else in here who has been grinding, taking notes, working hard but not necessarily getting that chance to be out there. Now, all of a sudden, it’s their time to go shine, their time to go help this team.”
The Bears have a straight-forward system in place that has been designed by Allen. They have a sack leader in Sweat who is making big plays. If those trends continue, a playoff spot and a first-place finish in the NFC North beckons.
