For the first time in the history of the franchise, the Chicago Bears are relying on their offense to keep them competitive in games, while their defense has become an absolute sieve.
The Chicago Bears have scored 29 points in three consecutive games and have lost primarily because the defense has struggled to stop anyone. There have been signs late in games that the Chicago Bears defense is up to the task but overall they’ve been the primary reason the Bears are on their current three-game losing streak.
Up front there have been some plays made by Justin Jones as a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, he is the team leader in tackles for a loss with seven on the season. Once a game it seems Jones makes some penetration into the backfield to drop the running back for a loss or disrupt the play enough for it to be stopped for a loss. Justin Jones however never generates the level of consistency you want from a top-level defensive tackle.
At the defensive end spot, the stats are in and the Bears are getting no zero pass rush from their defensive ends. In fact in one stat the Bears are the absolute worst in the league at getting off of blocks to make plays.
Not a single #Bears pass rusher has performed at league average in @NextGenStats’ “average separation from QB” metric in either of the last two games. pic.twitter.com/zbS0esvdOx
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) November 14, 2022
Since the Robert Quinn trade Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson have been completely shut down on the edges from getting any pressure on the QB. Of the defensive line starters, only Jones and Gipson have registered even a single QB hit each over the last two games.
After starting the season with 1.5 sacks against the 49ers Robinson has been completely shut out. While Gipson notched two the following week against the Packers, he hasn’t had another sack since. Clearly, the Bears are going to be in the market either in the draft or free agency for defensive line help.
Right now both Gipson and Robinson are backup players at best, and Gipson may not survive the cut down to 53 after training camp next year. Robinson a rookie will be given time to develop his game, but it may be a stretch to think he’ll be starting in 2023.
This begs the question, will Chicago Bears fans be okay with Ryan Poles’ first two draft picks in the 2023 draft being defensive players? Clearly, the draft is lining up to be heavy with top players on the defensive line representing among the top-10 players in the draft. So the Bears may find themselves by grabbing need and value with a defensive line selection in the first round.
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