Contrary to last season, there’s not much optimism facing the Chicago Bears as they head into an important offseason. There certainly won’t be an offseason filled with lofty Super Bowl expectations that will ultimately fall short.
Instead, the Bears are left to fix what went wrong in a disappointing 2019 season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. There’s less to correct on defense, which will be entering its second year under defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano.
But when grasping for any sort of optimism, Bleacher Report believes that the Bears should feel optimistic about their defense heading into 2020.
The Chicago Bears haven’t tallied as many sacks and turnovers as they did last year, but they still boast a top-10 defense in both points and yards allowed. In a league with quarterbacks freely moving the ball through the air, that’s a notable positive.
Although the Bears struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16, giving up 350 yards and 26 points, they have held nine of their opponents to fewer than 21 points this season. They’ve gone 6-3 in those contests, which could be even better with an improved offense.
While the Bears were a disappointment in 2019, it wasn’t due to their defense. Chicago’s defense finished the season allowing the fourth fewest points in the NFL. The one area they struggled to find success was in forcing turnovers — they had 19 in 2019 compared to 36 in 2018 — which will surely be a focus this offseason.
But the Bears will return a cast of players that includes star pass rusher Khalil Mack, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, linebacker Roquan Smith, safety Eddie Jackson and cornerback Kyle Fuller.
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