Top takeaway: More needed
Defense has been strong, but turnover drought is a concern
Kyle Fuller recognized the shotgun formation fromthe Titans’ previous game, a two-receiver, twotight end set with A.J. Brown isolated to the right just inside the numbers.
Fuller sensed what was coming. On the first possession of lastweek’s game at Nissan Stadium, on third-and-7 fromthe Titans 29, the Bears cornerback had his eyes on a big play. At the snap, Fuller anticipated Brown’s outbreaking cut 11 yards beyond the line of scrimmage and broke right on time. He had an angle to snatch Ryan Tannehill’s second pass of the afternoon and probably had a runway to the end zone if he had intercepted it.
But Fuller lunged and got only his left hand on the ball, knocking it to the grass and forced to settle for a pass deflection rather than a pick-six.
Fox play-by-play announcer Dick Stockton called it “a good start for the Bear defense.” He wasn’twrong. But it could have been better.
“What a great play byKyle Fuller,” color analystGreg Jennings echoed, praising Fuller’s vision and awareness. Still, it could have been bigger.
Bears defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend gritted his teeth.
“Kylewas in great position,” Townsend said the next day. “He just has to finish it. He could not have put himself in better position.”
On a day in which the Bears defense allowed a season-low 228 yards and only 11 first downs, a three-and-out to open the game provided a promising start to another solid outing.
But for a middle-of-the-road team with a thin margin for
error, Fuller’s pass breakup also could be classified as a missed opportunity froma Pro Bowl cornerback with normally reliable ball skills.
In the third quarter, on another Tannehill pass to CoreyDavis, fellowcorner Jaylon Johnson drove on the ball and had an opportunity to make a contested interception. The football hitDavis’ right hand and then the numbers on Johnson’s jersey. But the rookie couldn’t secure the ball, and the pass fell incomplete.
Thus, when the afternoon ended with the Bears’ third consecutive loss, the defensewas again without a takeaway and hadn’t done enough to rescue their floundering offense.
The Bears haven’t created a takeaway since the fourth quarter inWeek 7, a fumble forced by RobertQuinn that Eddie Jackson returned for a touchdown. That’s the only turnover the defense has forced in the last 26 possessions (excluding kneeldowns) it has been on the field.
“We’re talking about it ad nauseam. Over and over,” defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said thisweek.“We have to find a way to take the ball away. We’ve got to find away to score on defense.”
With seven games remaining and the offense continuing its never-ending quest to find rhythm, an identity and away to score touchdowns on a semiregular basis, the Bears defense has chosen to focus inward, working to determine howit can produce more game-changing opportunities and capitalize when they arise.
Following the loss in Tennessee, linebackerDanny Trevathan struck a determined tone.
“We knowit looked likewe playedwell,” he said. “But there are a couple of playswe feltwe should have made. The thing iswe have to get the turnovers. On defensewe want to get back to turning the ball over.”
The Bears continue to have a very good defense, a unit that is still the league’s best inside the red zone and on third downs. The defense also ranks in the top 10 in yards and points allowed. Still, the Bears entered thisweek ranked 20th in the NFL in takeaways with nine. They’re tied for 12th with 20 sacks.
In short, more splash plays will be needed for the defense to cement itself in the NFL’s top tier and keep the team’s declining playoff hopes alive.
In 2018, during a 12-4 joyride to the NFC North championship, the Bears led the league with 36 takeaways to go along with an NFC-best 50 sacks. An undeniably elite defense scored six touchdowns that season under coordinator Vic Fangio.
In the 25 games since under Pagano, the Bears have totaled 28 takeaways and 52 sacks. In nine more games.
Those drop-offs are notable. But for full context, the offense’s ongoing struggles have continued to be a major drag on the defense.
Looking back at 2018, two-thirds of the Bears’ 36 takeaways came when theywere leading, 14 when theywere ahead by more than 7 points. In eight games that season, the Bears forced at least three turnovers. Four of thosewere victories in which the Bears neverwere behind. In a fifth, they didn’t trail after the first quarter.
Simply put, the preferred formula is simple. Get a lead. Force the opponent to play the game on your terms. Stay aggressive and then capitalize on mistakes.
This season, however, the Bears haven’t led nearly as frequently. They never trailed in wins over theNewYork Giants and Carolina Panthers but had to erase deficits of at least 13 points in their other three victories.
Overall, the Bears have led this season for 140 minutes, 13 seconds out of a total of 548: 24 played. That’s 25.6% of the time that the Bears have been ahead. They have held a lead of more than seven points for just 44:45. And it’s no coincidence their two multiple takeaway performances this season came in those victories against the Giants and Panthers.
OnMonday night, the Vikings will visit Soldier Field with quarterback Kirk Cousins having turned the ball over three times in his last two visits to Chicago. Cousins’ 10 interceptions this season are the second most in the NFL, behind only Eagles quarterback CarsonWentz.
The Bears defense has to find away to be opportunistic. But theywould also benefit froman opportunity to play with a lead. The 2018 Bears, for what it’sworth, held a lead 60.2% of the time during the regular season, according to Football Outsiders, well more than double what this season’s team has done.
The takeaway emphasis continues with an awareness not to overstate it.
Said Pagano: “You can swing the bat so hard when you’re in a hitting slump. And you can keep swinging and swinging so hard and trying so hard that (sometimes) it just getsworse. Guys just have to play and be in the right spots. And when the opportunity arises, you better take advantage of them. We had a couple opportunities last week. We have to make good on those.”