Improved Pass Rush Key to Chicago Bears’ Resurgence on Defense
Published by Matt Eurich on December 1, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have spent the majority of their existence being known as a defensive-oriented team, but their defense regressed between 2013 and 2014 under former head coach Marc Trestman. Chicago has had a resurgence on the defensive side of the football this season, and a lot of that can be attributed to the team’s improved pass rush.
In 2013 under former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, the Bears finished the season with 31 sacks, 37 quarterback hits and 144 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. In the following year, the Bears recorded 39 sacks, 71 quarterback hits and 163 quarterback hurries.
The Bears moved on from both Trestman and Tucker after last season, and new coordinator Vic Fangio implemented his 3-4 defense in Chicago this offseason. Through 11 games this year, Chicago’s defense has registered 22 sacks, 41 quarterback hits and 141 quarterback hurries.
In Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers, the Bears recorded two sacks, four quarterback hits and a season-high 20 quarterback hurries.
According to outside linebacker Willie Young, the Bears’ plan on defense for Thanksgiving night was to pressure Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers all game long.
“One thing we made sure we didn’t do is we didn’t get caught slowing our rush. We came after him,” Young said after the game, per the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Mark Potash. “We know he can scramble and get out of the pocket and make plays. But we were not about to slow our roll because of what he’s capable of doing.”
Chicago is not an elite pass-rushing team, but its defense has flourished in recent weeks because of the play of two former defensive ends.
Willie Young and Lamarr Houston Are Finding Their Stride at Outside Linebacker
In order to improve its pass rush during the 2014 offseason, the Bears signed both Young and Lamarr Houston to long-term deals. In the team’s 4-3 defense, the duo split time at left defensive end while Jared Allen was the team’s primary starter at right defensive end.
An ACL injury prematurely ended Houston’s first season with the Bears in Week 8, and he finished the 2014 season with just 11 tackles and one sack. Young tore his Achilles in Week 16 against the Detroit Lions, but he finished the year with 39 tackles and a career-high 10 sacks.
When Fangio took over this offseason, the team opted to move both Young and Houston to outside linebacker. Houston played some outside linebacker during his time with the Oakland Raiders, but Young had no previous experience playing out of a two-point stance.
Both outside linebackers were eased into training camp and the preseason while they recovered from their injuries, and it took some time before both players were able to contribute as pass-rushers on a consistent basis this season.
Young played well against both the run and the pass last year, but he struggled in both areas at the beginning of this season. In the team’s first seven games, Young recorded just four tackles and one sack. In those first seven games, Young played just 124 snaps on defense, but he has played 199 snaps in the last four games.
In Chicago’s last four games, Young has registered 14 tackles, two sacks and one interception. He is far from a perfect fit at outside linebacker, but he has looked much more comfortable at his new position in recent weeks.
Houston recorded his first sack of the year in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and he has recorded four sacks in the team’s last four games. He is currently tied for the team lead in sacks with Pernell McPhee with five.
The former University of Texas Longhorn struggled to get on the field early in the season, but the Chicago Sun-Times‘ Adam Jahns thinks Houston has made progress in recent weeks:
Like Young, Houston’s snaps have fluctuated this season, but he has played 108 snaps in the last four games after playing just 119 snaps in the team’s first seven games. On Thursday night against the Packers, Houston played one of his best games as a member of the Bears.
He finished the game with seven tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. CBSChicago.com’s Dan Durkin praised Houston’s first half:
Young and Houston have proven in recent weeks that they have the ability to apply pressure to the quarterback, and their improvement at outside linebacker has coincided with Chicago’s improvement on defense. While Young and Houston have flashed in recent weeks, McPhee is still Chicago’s biggest threat off the edge.
Pernell McPhee Dictates Protection Schemes and Opens Up Opportunities for Teammates
Signed this offseason to help give the Bears a young playmaker on the defensive side of the ball, McPhee recorded five sacks in Chicago’s first seven games, and he is currently listed as Pro Football Focus‘ fourth-best outside linebacker with a plus-29.3 overall grade.
In addition to his five sacks, McPhee has recorded 10 quarterback hits and 39 quarterback hurries in 499 snaps this season.
A knee injury forced McPhee out of the lineup against the St. Louis Rams in Week 10, but he was back on the field in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos despite his injury.
“He’s trying his best,” Fangio said about McPhee‘s injury, per the Chicago Tribune‘s Dan Wiederer. “There was one point in the game (against the Broncos) when I was told he was done and wasn’t going to play anymore. Then I look up and he’s out there two series later.”
Before Chicago’s showdown with Green Bay on Thanksgiving, McPhee said hitting Rodgers was going to be a key for the defense.
“The only thing we need to do is hit the quarterback and win the game,” McPhee said, per Wiederer. “That’s it. And then go eat us some turkey dinner. Happy Thanksgiving.”
McPhee finished the game against the Packers with six tackles and five quarterback hurries. In recent weeks, teams have added extra blockers to McPhee‘s side of the field, opening up opportunities for guys like Young and Houston on the other side of the formation.
Because of the pressure McPhee, Houston and Young are creating off the edge, as well as the pressure created up the middle from defensive linemen Eddie Goldman, Mitch Unrein and Jarvis Jenkins, Chicago’s secondary has shown vast improvement this season in comparison to the last two years.
Improved Pass Rush Has Helped the Secondary
After giving up the 18th-most passing yards per game (233.1) in 2013 and the third-most passing yards per game in 2014 (264.4), Chicago’s defense has quickly become one of the NFL‘s best against the pass this season.
Through Week 12, the Bears are allowing just 214.5 passing yards per game, second fewest in the NFL behind the Denver Broncos.
One reason why the Bears have been so successful against the pass this season is because of the constant pressure the front seven has been putting on opposing quarterbacks. Veteran cornerback Tracy Porter recorded his first interception of the season against Rodgers in Week 12, and he credited the team’s pass rush for making his takeaway possible.
“The front seven did a good job of putting pressure on [Rodgers],” Porter said, per Potash. “I read the route that he was trying to make. They were trying to make a quick throw and I just beat him to the spot.”
Since the Bears have been able to consistently apply pressure this season, opposing quarterbacks have been forced to get rid of the football quickly.
Chicago’s defense is still a work in progress, but the team’s improved pass rush in recent weeks has helped set the tone for a unit coming off two of its worst seasons in team history under Tucker. If the pass rush can continue to get production out of Young, Houston and McPhee, the pass defense should continue to be one of the league’s best.
The Bears are not back to being the “Monsters of the Midway” just yet, but the defense is starting to show signs of resurgence because of the unit’s ability to apply constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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