[jwplayer ytYBtAt4-ThvAeFxT]
The struggles by the Bears offense last Sunday against the Lions didn’t really come as a surprise. But the struggles by the Bears defense were certainly alarming, particularly through the first three quarters.
The Bears defense allowed 426 total yards to the Lions, including 93 rushing yards by 35-year old Adrian Peterson. The pass rush wasn’t getting home to Matthew Stafford and the run defense, for as much as they missed nose tackle Eddie Goldman, just wasn’t good enough.
If not for rookie running back D’Andre Swift’s dropped touchdown in the end zone in the final seconds, the narrative surrounding the Bears entering Week 2 would’ve been entirely different.
Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano knows his defense wasn’t good enough, and he’s not going to try and make excuses for it.
“We weren’t good,” Pagano said. “I have to do a better job preparing these guys. I have to do a better job of coaching. And then we have to execute better. That’s just how it is. We didn’t do our job.”
Of course you have to factor in the fact that Sunday’s game was the first time these players were participating in live tackling since last December, given the COVID-19 restrictions and lack of a preseason.
“Some of it’s that,” Pagano said. “But it’d be easy to make those excuses. And our guys won’t do it. Coaches won’t do it. I won’t do it.”
Pagano vowed that the defense will turn things around in Week 2, where they welcome in a Giants offense that had its share of struggles protecting quarterback Daniel Jones and opening up lanes for running back Saquon Barkley, who had just six yards on the ground.
“Certainly would it look different with a normal offseason or preseason games?” Pagano wondered about his defense. “You’d like to maybe think so. But that’s not the case here. We’ve got the circumstances that we’re in and we’re going to play better come Sunday.”
Considering this is a top-10 defense for a season ago that returns all but three starters — whose replacements you could argue are upgrades — it’s unlikely that Chicago’s defense has a terrible season. And if there’s a time to sort out some rust and mistakes, it’s at the beginning of the season with a favorable stretch.
The Bears might even get a boost with the debut of outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who missed the season opener with an ankle injury. Quinn has been limited this week in practice, but his status for Sunday’s game still remains uncertain.