The Chicago Bears’ defense looked nothing like the group that got steamrolled for 37 points and 478 yards by the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Three games later, Dennis Allen’s unit has flipped the script.
Over the last three weeks, the Bears have given up just 22 points and 651 total yards. That kind of swing doesn’t happen by accident. Chicago is getting cleaner execution, better collective play and, just as importantly, stops when it needs them most.
The clearest sign of the surge shows up on third down. According to Radar360, the Bears rank No. 2 in the NFL in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert only 23.7% of the time. Only the Minnesota Vikings have been better, holding teams to 22.6%.
That number has shown up in the results, too. Chicago shut down the New York Jets on third down last week, holding them to 0-for-7.
In Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears limited Philadelphia to 2-of-9 on third down. Allen’s defense is getting off the field and forcing offenses to reset.
The Bears have also done a much better job of taking away explosive plays. That matters in any offense, but especially for a team like Ben Johnson’s, which is built to hit chunk gains and move quickly down the field. Explosive plays are defined here as runs of 10 yards or more and passes of 20 yards or more.
Last season, Chicago allowed the fifth-most explosive plays in the league with 120. This year, the Bears have given up 19 through four games, which is tied for the 25th-fewest in the NFL. That forces opponents to work for everything and strings together longer, more demanding drives.
Then there’s the biggest number of all: points allowed. In 2025, Allen’s first year running the defense, the Bears gave up 415 points, the 10th-most in the league. Through the first four games last season, they had already allowed 117 points.
This time around, even with that rough opener against Carolina, Chicago has held opponents to 65 points through four games, the fourth-best mark in the NFL. The turnaround has been a major reason the Bears have won back-to-back games at Soldier Field.
Now comes the next test. Chicago has shown it can control games at home, but Week 5 will ask a different question: can this defense travel? The answer will have to wait until the Bears face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
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Williams has mattered to Chicago in ways that show up in the run game, in ball security and in how the offense finishes games, which is why his absence against Green Bay feels like more than a simple quarterback swap. The Bears have managed without him before, but the bigger question now is whether they can keep the same rhythm on the ground and avoid the late-game issues that have made his presence so valuable, especially with a potential return looming in the next game. [Read more 🡒]