While last season was far from a disappointment for the Chicago Bears defense, they certainly regressed following a truly impressive 2018 outing. Certainly injuries to defensive stars and learning a new system under defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano had something to do with that.
But heading into 2020, this defense is looking to get back to their 2018 form. Then there’s Chicago’s special teams, which saw a boost from kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson. In ESPN’s 2020 fantasy football projections, the Bears defense and special teams ranks ninth, which is due in large part to their fantasy decline in 2019.
One season after dominating the NFL with 55 more fantasy points than any other D/ST, Chicago plummeted to 15th in 2019. The Bears fell from a league-high 11 top-10 fantasy weeks in 2018 to three (24th) in 2019. Chicago was still solid in terms of yardage (eighth) and points (fifth) allowed, but plummeted from first to 22nd in forced turnovers and third to 24th in sacks. On the plus side, impact KR Cordarrelle Patterson scored his fifth return touchdown in as many seasons.
The Bears lost three of their top six and seven of their top 12 defenders in terms of snaps during the offseason, including Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Leonard Floyd and Prince Amukamara. The addition of Robert Quinn and return of Akiem Hicks will help, but, even with the likes of Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Danny Trevathan and Kyle Fuller, this unit isn’t nearly as intimidating as it was in 2018. Consider it a back-end starting option.
ESPN projects the Bears defense to have a better outing in 2020, which should be a given with the return of three injured starters in defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and linebackers Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith, as well as the addition of pass rusher Robert Quinn.
They predict Chicago’s defense will notch 39 sacks, 11 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries and three touchdowns. On top of that, they have the Bears allowing more points than a season ago with 343 and yards with 5,461.
When looking at this roster that general manager Ryan Pace has put together on defense — including one of the NFL’s best front sevens — you have to believe that Chicago’s defense is trending more toward the 2018 season than 2019. Then again, they’ll need a little help from their offense to ensure that they get a breather every now and then. That, and luck on the injury front.
[vertical-gallery id=449460]
[lawrence-related id=448784,449580,449533,449512,449244]