Coming into Week 3, the Chicago Bears defense desperately needed a bounce back game. In week 2 against the Packers, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense seemingly moved the ball at will. Aaron Jones had a field day against the Bears and Rodgers was able to exploit Kyler Gordon all night in favorable matchups. The most disappointing aspect of the night was obviously the run defense, but the lack of turnovers was also concerning.
As Week 3 came along, a less formidable offensive attack came to Soldier Field. The Houston Texans offense was not as strong as the Packers were, but they still had weapons that had to be accounted for. Dameon Pierce is a nice running back with an aggressive run style, and the Bears were able to keep him from breaking any big runs throughout the game. Davis Mills was also only able to get off one big 50 yard completion where it seemed Gordon and JaQuan Brisker were confused in coverage. Besides that big play, the Bears were able to keep the Texans offense in check and prevented them from moving the ball.
The most impressive part of the defense last Sunday was two things: picking up the slacking offense and creating timely turnovers. This game felt eerily similar to a lot of the 2018 Bears games, where the offense couldn’t get anything going but the defense always kept them in the game. Fields and the offense were turnover prone, forcing two head scratching interceptions. However, the Bears defense responded on one of the Fields picks as Eddie Jackson was able to intercept a tipped pass in the back of the end zone on the Texans ensuing drive. Without that pick, the Texans could have easily had a touchdown lead going into half, and the second half could have had a different dynamic in terms of the Bears playing catch up with their passing game (and we all know how that would have turned out). Late in the game, with the Texans having the ball on a potential game winning drive, Roquan Smith was able to read a slot hook route and stepped in front of a Davis Mills pass. His interception put the Bears in a great field position to win the ball game, as all they had to do was kneel out the clock and kick a chip field goal. Roquan played very well all game, finishing with 16 tackles, 2 TFL’s, and the mentioned interception. Coming into a season where he expects to be the highest paid player at his position, Roquan proved his worth.
Kyler Gordon played somewhat better and had a potential interception return for touchdown on a screen pass. Kindle Vildor, who quietly has had a solid season, had a crucial pass breakup intended for Brandin Cooks on third down. Not much pressure was generated up front as in the last two contests, as Leremy Tunsil proved his All-Pro status by locking up Robert Quinn all game.
Looking ahead, it seems the Bears defense will have to keep this ball club in games. The offense looks nowhere near competent, as Justin Fields continues with his sophomore struggles. In the meantime, the defense will have to create short fields for the offense and try to limit opposing teams’ points until the offense can find footing.
