3 keys for Bears defense vs. Panthers in Week 1 - Bears Wire
The Chicago Bears are set to square off against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in their regular-season opener, which should come as quite an intriguing matchup. The biggest question for the Bears this year is, without question, their defense. Although the team led the league and takeaways last year, there is still plenty of room to grow as they were vulnerable to big plays and allowing teams to jump out ahead early in games.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen suffered a big blow when free agent marquee signing Coby Bryant suffered a knee injury thatβll keep him out for most of the regular season, a big blow to a secondary that is already without veteran Kyler Gordon. The team used a first round pick on safety Dillon Thieneman, and he is expected to play a big role in his rookie season, while veteran Xavier Woods works alongside him at the safety position.
For Week 1, the Bears have a challenging test against the Carolina Panthers, who have talented weapons, but most are still young in their career. New names will have to emerge this season for Chicago's defense to hold their own, and Carolina provides a matchup that should not overwhelm the team's defense but will certainly give them questions to answer.
One of the biggest things that the Bears front office and coaching staff made clear this offseason was the need to address the speed of their defense, which is why the additions of linebacker Devin Bush and safety Dillon Thieneman are so important. Chicago playing fast doesn't mean they need to overcommit and relentlessly pursue to get themselves out of position, but they need to see the ball, find it, and go make a play. No longer can this defense be tracking down ballcarriers after they've gotten five or more yards of offense before the first level of contact.
The Panthers have three big-threat wide receivers, as Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette both stand 6'3", while top receiver Tetairoa McMillan stands 6'5" and that'll call for the Bears secondary to have play big in their own right. Head coach Ben Johnson has said he sees a fire back inside of top cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and if that fire is there, he'll be matched up on McMillan, last season's Offensive Rookie of the Year. Tyrique Stevenson may be made perfectly for this matchup as he can go up and find the ball, which is how the entire secondary will need to play.
There has long been a conversation about the need for the Bears to have a top second pass rusher opposite of Montez Sweat, but what if the focus became more on the entire defensive line? Instead of hoping that just Austin Booker or Dayo Odeyingbo breakout and have a big season opposite of Sweat, the Bears should look to get everyone involved, from the aforementioned edge rushers, to the men in the middle, including rookie Jordan Van Den Berg. If the Bears defensive line can play consistently aggressive and get in the backfield, then it won't matter who gets the stats, so long as the team is making impact plays on defense.
