The Chicago Bears defense has struggled with a number of things through the first two games. But sacking the quarterback continues to be a problem for this Matt Eberflus defense.
Chicago has just one sack through two games — Yannick Ngakoue’s sack in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers — which is tied for 30th in the league. Believe it or not, they’re not the worst. That honor belongs to the New York Giants, who have yet to record a sack.
While the Bears were able to pressure Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield — including Ngakoue getting a hand on him on a couple of occasions — they couldn’t bring him down.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said the key to finishing those sacks is “just about technique.”
“We were around [Mayfield] a bunch,” Eberflus said. “We had a bunch of opportunities that I showed the D-line and the pressure players to get there. Baker’s strong. He’s a strong guy. You’ve got to tackle him a certain way. It’s important that you do that. You’ve got to get him around the waist, so we were just too high. We were too high in those moments, and we’ve got to improve that going forward.
“Every quarterback’s different, how you get him on the ground. Some guys you’ve got to tackle a little bit higher, some guys you’ve got to tackle a little bit lower. They give you a strike zone that you can tackle in. So that’s what you’ve always got to focus on. Every quarterback’s different. We’ve got to do a better job.”
Things won’t get easier when the Bears head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, who has been sacked just once this season. But if Chicago stands any chance to threatening an upset, they’re going to need to get pressure on Mahomes.