Although it can’t technically be considered a homecoming because the game will be played at Soldier Field, this Sunday afternoon, Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will get his first opportunity to coach against the team he had spent the majority of his coaching career with… the New Orleans Saints.
Over the course of two stints, Dennis Allen coached the New Orleans Saints for a decade and a half, most recently as the team’s head coach from 2022 to 2024. Allen was fired midway through the 2024 season in the midst of a 7-game losing streak which came after New Orleans won their first two games of the season.
Now, as Allen and the Bears will return to the friendly confines of Soldier Field and welcome the 1-5 Saints to town as Chicago plays for their fourth consecutive win. As emotional as this game may end up being for Dennis Allen, he’s spending the week downplaying the narrative and focusing more on the challenges that the Saints will present the Bears’ defense.
“I spent 15 of my 24 years in the league at that place, so obviously I’ve got a lot of fond memories of being there. And yet, it’s another game, and that’s where our focus is this week,” Allen said while addressing the media on Thursday.
“I think we got a good opponent. As you watch the tape, they continue to get better. They’ve got a little of skill position players that are really explosive,” Allen explained. “I think this is a team that has continued to improve and every single one of their games, they’ve been in every single one of them.”
Even as members of the media continued to ask Dennis Allen about the interpersonal aspect of the matchup, the veteran coach continued to bring the conversation back to the game itself, reminding everyone, “This is the NFL, everybody’s just trying to win this week. I probably wouldn’t try to make anything more of it than what it is.”
You heard the man. Let’s focus on the matchup!
Can the Chicago Bears make it four in a row versus the Saints?
At this point in the season, it feels like we know what we can expect from Ben Johnson and Declan Doyle’s offense. There will be some explosive plays, some incredibly frustrating pre-snap penalties, a gadget play here and there, and Chicago will likely put at least 21 points on the board. In fact, the Bears are the only team in the NFL to score at least 21 points in every one of their games so far this season.
Chicago’s defense is more of an unknown, and yes, that’s a statement that feels awfully weird to type out given how historically it’s been the defense that could be relied on. Teams have been gashing the Bears on the ground, and opponents have had nearly as much success through the air. Some of these struggles could have something to do with the fact that Jaylon Johnson, TJ Edwards and Kyler Gordon have all missed the majority of the season.
Dennis Allen’s defense has forced 11 turnovers over the last three games, but turnovers have typically been an unreliable indicator of long-term defensive success. There’s a belief within the Bears organization that this is sustainable, but the jury is still out.
With that said, against a second-year quarterback who doesn’t even have a full season’s worth of starts under his belt, this could be a golden opportunity for the Bears defense to continue to feast, even if Spencer Rattler’s tape has shown continued improvement.
“I think he’s doing a good job of getting rid of the ball,” Allen said of Rattler. “When he’s able to get the ball out in rhythm and on timing, I think he’s been highly successful. Then the second thing that he’s been able to do is create a lot of things with his feet. His mobility is one of those factors that we’re going to have to take into account.”
Thus far this season, Rattler has completed nearly 69 percent of his passes for 1,217 yards, 6 touchdowns and just 1 interception.
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