Don’t look now, but the Chicago Bears are beginning to look like a competent football team. Since starting the season 0-4, the team looks like it has turned a corner, going 5-4 in their games since.
The Bears are in a unique spot because they can continue pushing forward attempting to win as many games as possible and still land a top pick. Because of the trade made with the Carolina Panthers last offseason, Chicago owns their first-round pick. With each passing week, that pick gets closer to closer to being locked in as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
That trade is going to be what helps catapult the Bears’ rebuild forward. Not only did they land premium draft capital, but they also acquired wide receiver D.J. Moore, who has been everything the team had hoped for and more as a No. 1 receiver.
Because of the extra draft capital acquired from the Panthers, general manager Ryan Poles was able to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline again. Last season, they inexplicable traded a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Chase Claypool. For as good as the trade with the Panthers was, the one with Pittsburgh was bad.
This year, Chicago tried their hand again at a deadline deal, acquiring defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders. The early returns on this deal have been spectacular as Sweat has helped get the team’s defense on track.
The 2019 first-round pick did not miss a beat going from Washington to Chicago. In his five games with the Bears, Sweat has been excellent. He has 12 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 15 total pressures and two passes defended. He is already second on the team in sacks, tied with Justin Jones, and 0.5 sacks behind Yannick Ngakoue for the team lead.
The Bears have had an anemic pass rush for a while, but Sweat has instantly changed that. His presence has helped get the team back on track, as they have been playing at a high level since he was acquired.
As shared by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Bears have turned into a top-five defense with Sweat in the mix. They are top five in total defense (fifth place), pass defense (fifth place) and takeaways (tied for second) since Week 9. In the first eight weeks of the season, Chicago was 30th in pass defense.
The 2023 season can be broken into two parts; before Sweat and after Sweat, as the performances have been drastically different. From Weeks 1-8, Chicago gave up 27.3 points, 341 yards and 262.3 passing yards per game with only 10 sacks and nine takeaways. They ranked 28th, 23rd, 30th, last and 22nd, respectively.
From Week 9 on, they are giving up 18.2 points, 272.2 yards and 180.6 passing yards per game to go along with 11 sacks and 11 takeaways. That ranks 9th, 5th, 5th, tied for 22nd and tied for 2nd over that span.
The Bears have recorded 3+ takeaways in three straight games, which is the first time they did that since 2018, which was the last time they also made the postseason. The 11 takeaways since Week 11 are the most in the NFL and even more impressive when you take into consideration Chicago was on a bye in Week 12.
It is incredible the impact one player can make, as the Bears have done a total 180-degree turn on defense with Sweat in the lineup. He has helped them keep their slim playoff hopes alive and provides the team with a foundational piece to build around on that side of the ball into the future.
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