The Chicago Bears defense looked phenomenal once again and are proving doubters wrong after knocking off the Detroit Lions.The win marked the seventh straight game where the team’s defense continued to play at a high level.
The defensive turnaround the team has shown over the past seven games could possibly be accredited to an overlook move made by the Bears back in October.
Following the Bears loss to the Minnesota Vikings back in Week 6, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus decided to make a change to the team’s coaching staff. That change involved hiring long-time defensive coach Phil Snow as a defensive analyst.
Snow was hired to help the team’s defense in advanced scouting role during the week to provide summaries of all the situations the unit could face in their upcoming games. While the hiring to the staff flew under the radar, Snow’s impact might have paid off in a big way.
Since Week 7, the Bears have allowed 19.0 points per game and 278.3 total yards per game along with 15 takeaways. During the first 6 games of the season prior to hiring Snow, the Bears allowed 29.3 points per game and 363.2 total yards per game with 5 takeaways.
The turnaround of course can’t fully be placed on the impact of the team’s new defensive assistant but he’s surely had some role in helping the unit turn the corner.
“Phil’s been great,” Eberflus said back in Week 11. “He really has, to have the wealth of experience for him being a coordinator, I think is really a neat part of it. He loves to watch film and loves to break the opponent down. So, that’s been fabulous for us… and he’s been fabulous with that. But for me, just bouncing ideas off of him from a former play caller to a play caller as of recently has been really good.”
The Bears defense has especially been playing lights out over the past three games, outside of the ending to Week 11’s loss to the Detroit Lions. Over that stretch, the Bears defense forced 10 takeaways, including 3+ in each game.
Credit for the turnaround also comes from defensive end Montez Sweat, whom the team acquired back in Week 9. Since Sweat joined the team, the Bears defense has recorded 11 sacks compared to a league-low 10 sacks from Weeks 1-8.
Whatever the case may be, the team’s defense has continued to shine on a consistent basis for the first time in the Eberflus era and that’s something the team’s coach should be proud of going into the final month of the season.
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