Timing is everything. Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent efficiently executed a paint-by-numbers game plan to produce 24 points against the Raiders on Sunday. But that wouldn’t have been enough to beat the Packers, Chiefs or Broncos earlier this season — all whom scored 24 or more points against the Bears’ defense.
But Bagent was a 30-12 winner over the Raiders on Sunday at Soldier Field because the Bears’ defense is getting its footing after a difficult first month of the season. The defense allowed 12 points, shut down the Raiders running game (39 yards on 14 carries, 2.8 yards per carry), and held the Raiders to 235 total yards (3.9 per play) and 2-of-9 third-down conversions (22.2%). And they had three takeaways.
“We were aggressive,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said. “Our communication was really good — something we’ve talked about all week, being on the same page. We’ve got so much confidence in our group when we’re firing on all cylinders and we were able to do that.”
After a disjointed training camp with key players missing time with injuries, the Bears struggled in the regular season with six new starters, the resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams, injuries to safety Eddie Jackson and cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson and rookies getting acclimated to the NFL — cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith and defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens.
Through four games, the Bears were 28th in the NFL in yards allowed, 31st in points allowed, 32nd in third-down conversions and sacks and tied for 28th in takeaways — two interceptions of Chiefs back-up Blaine Gabbert in garbage time of a 41-10 loss.
But in the past three games, the Bears’ defense has improved significantly. The Bears held the Commanders to 84 yards on 21 carries (4.0 yards per play) in building a 27-3 halftime lead in a 40-20 victory. Then they held the Vikings to 220 yards (4.0 yards per play) and the Raiders to 235 (3.9).
And they’re getting off the field. The Bears were last in the NFL by a mile in third-down conversions through four weeks (33-of-56, 58.9%). But they held the Commanders to 2-of-5 in building the big halftime lead, then held the Vikings to 2-of-13 and the Raiders to 2-of-9.
“We just continue to mesh,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “We faced a lot of adversity. Adversity builds character. You find out a lot about your team. You find out a lot about yourself. Just to see the way we stayed together, the chemistry we’re building. I really think that’s the difference.
“It’s not really a big difference as far as what we’re doing. We’ve been playing hard. We’ve been practicing hard. But the attention to detail — the way we practice, the way we hold each other accountable shows up in games.”
Stopping the run early has been key — the Bears have allowed 114 rushing yards on 46 carries (2.5 yards per carry) in their last three games to improve to fifth in the NFL in rushing defense, second in yards per carry.
“We had some guys injured, had our secondary issues and now we’ve got guys back,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “I just think it’s continuity. They have me calling it and the continuity is there. I think that’s important. And we’re aggressive. Not only aggressive with the calls but aggressive with techniques when you want to play that aggressive style.”
The Bears have gotten some breaks — facing the Vikings without All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson and the Raiders with journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer. But that’s the NFL. The Raiders faced the Bears with an undrafted rookie making his first NFL start at quarterback and couldn’t win.
“Our confidence is high,” Johnson said. “It’s about us being who we know we can be and being aggressive and executing. Coach has been putting us in a good positions … figuring out different ways to win and execute. We believe in each other. We know we can play at a high level.”
