Despite Defensive Woes, Bears Were Competent in One Area
Despite defensive struggles, the Bears excelled at crucial third-and-short stops, even forcing game-changing turnovers in key moments.
The Chicago Bears had a porous defense last season. The only thing that the team did relatively well was taking the ball away. The Bears led the league with 33 turnovers.
Outside of that, Chicago allowed the 11th-most passing yards (239. 2), sixth-most rushing yards (134. 5) and 10th-most points per game (24.
4). Starters like Tremaine Edmunds, Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Nahshon Wright and others are now gone. As good as the Bears' offense was, the defense didn't do them any favors.
Chicago ranked inside the top 15 for multiple offensive metrics, but was constantly trying to climb out of holes that the defense put them in. This kind of play just isn't sustainable for a team that has hopes of reaching a Super Bowl for the first time since 1985. With all the problems that the Bears had on defense, they stood tall when it mattered on 3rd and short.