The Bears are back in familiar territory, and this time it’s happening fast.
Chicago led the NFL with 33 takeaways last season, a number that usually doesn’t come with a simple repeat button. But through three games of the 2026 season, the Bears already have six turnovers forced, which is tied for third-most in the league. That’s a sharper start than they had a year ago, when they didn’t even reach five takeaways until after games against the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys.
Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles offered the clearest picture yet of how this defense is piling up turnovers again.
The Bears forced three takeaways in the win. Austin Booker got the first one, stripping running back Tank Bigsby with 1:15 left in the first quarter and sending the ball loose for veteran safety Xavier Woods to recover.
Later, rookie safety Dillon Thieneman picked off backup quarterback Andy Dalton with 6:21 left in the first half, ending a 12-play, 95-yard Eagles drive. Then, with 37 seconds left in the third quarter, former Eagles linebacker T.J.
Edwards intercepted Jalen Hurts after Hurts tried to hit DeVonta Smith.
Those plays mattered because Chicago turned two of those takeaways into points, scoring 10 in a 27-7 win over the Eagles. The same pattern showed up in the 59-37 win over the Panthers, when the Bears scored a touchdown after forcing a fourth-quarter fumble.
Ben Johnson made it clear afterward how much those moments mean. He called takeaways “huge” and said Dennis Allen’s defense has played “outstanding football” over the last two games, including the 9-3 loss to the Vikings. Johnson also gave Allen one of the two game balls after the win.
The second-half work against Philadelphia stood out too. Allen’s unit held the Eagles without a point after halftime, forcing three punts, an interception, and a turnover on downs.
Last year’s Bears were defined by the turnovers they created, but they didn’t always have much else to lean on. This version has a chance to do more than just chase takeaways. Right now, though, the takeaway production is still doing a lot of the heavy lifting - and doing it at a pace that puts Chicago near the top of the league again.
In Other News...
Ryan Poles Just Changed The Bears Pass Rush Debate
The Bears spent the 2026 offseason reshaping the interior of their defensive line, adding several defensive tackles while leaving the edge group untouched and sending Gervon Dexter to Atlanta. Through three games, the early returns have made the front look more complete than the roster construction might have suggested, with Chicago piling up 52 quarterback pressures and seven sacks while ranking 10th in the NFL in pressure rate.
Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo have carried much of the load on the outside, and Austin Booker has also shown encouraging progress as the rotation has settled in. It leaves Ryan Poles in an interesting spot: the pass rush debate that looked like a clear offseason priority has shifted into a more nuanced conversation about whether the Bears have enough at edge, or whether the mix they assembled can keep producing once teams adjust. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Win Couldnt Hide A Problem Fans Can Already See
A 27-7 win over the Eagles should have left the Bears feeling pretty good about themselves, and in plenty of ways it did. But even a comfortable result could not fully mask the way some individual performances have begun to settle in, especially on a roster trying to sort out which pieces can be trusted as the season opens up. For a team still building its identity, the early weeks have already started to separate the players rising with the moment from the ones sliding the other direction.
Braxton Jones has had a rough stretch at left tackle, and Theo Benedet has not seized the chance to steady that spot when called upon. Elsewhere, Rome Odunze, Kyle Monangai and Neville Gallimore have also fallen short of expectations through the first three weeks, leaving the Bears with more to sort through than a single win can fix. The scoreboard said one thing against Philadelphia, but the film is already asking tougher questions about where this team is getting dependable production. [Read more 🡒]
Former Bears Receiver Back In The Mix As 49ers Injuries Mount
As injuries continue to chip away at the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver room, the team is turning back to a familiar name for help. Dante Pettis is expected to rejoin the 49ers practice squad after working out with the club and awaiting a physical, a move that gives them another experienced option as they try to steady a position group that has been stretched thin.
Pettis was originally drafted by San Francisco in 2018, and his return would add a bit of roster familiarity at a time when the 49ers need bodies more than they need introductions. He has moved on to multiple other NFL teams since then, but the receiver depth issue in San Francisco has created an opening for a player who knows the system and can at least provide another layer of insurance while the injuries sort themselves out. [Read more 🡒]