The Chicago Bears defense entered this season coming off a year in which it finished among the top-10 in both scoring and yardage. And because the group retained both starting corners via free agency and added a top-10 pick to solidify things, visions of a top-5 defense started to pop up.
And THEN Khalil Mack arrived and pushed the Bears to the top of the charts. Literally.Pro Football Focus has ranked the Bears as the NFL’s best defense through the first two weeks, and this is how the Bears stack up from their perspective:
Our top 6 graded defenses thorough two weeks (courtesy of @PFF Premium stats https://t.co/HcCwLovb2S )
Why 6?Well……
BTW that tackle grade of 88.2 is #1 pic.twitter.com/oyfIqkOiX4
— Neil Hornsby (@PFF_Neil) September 18, 2018
Best. In. The. League. BOOM!
PSA: Thanks to recent events, the City of Chicago has forced the Bears to put up warning signs all around Soldier Field.
Please be advised. pic.twitter.com/BzMJ3uW8B0
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) September 3, 2018
The Bears’ defense is viewed as a top-notch unit by traditional standards, too.
Chicago’s defense has allowed the eighth fewest yards and 11th fewest points through two weeks of 2018, but that’s just scratching the surface. The Bears have collected a league-leading 10 sacks, are tied with the Browns (yeah, seriously, the Browns!) with a league-most five forced fumbles, have stifled opposing running games to the fourth-fewest rushing yards, and are tied for the sixth highest number of takeaways this season. A team that had had the fewest number of takeaways (11) in 2016 already has four in two games. The arrow is certainly pointing up for this group, which is just starting to test its powers.
And to think, the Bears still have things to iron out in their game … specifically, in the fourth quarter. Although the Bears were leading by that point in each of their first two games, Chicago’s opponents have scored 35 points in the fourth quarter, which is far too many for a team with high aspirations moving forward. Once the Bears find a way to correct a rather significant short-coming, there could be no limit to what this fully operational defense can do.