With Pro Bowl corner Jaylon Johnson still working back from groin surgery, T.J. Edwards sidelined by hand and hamstring injuries, and Kyler Gordon on injured reserve with a calf injury, the Chicago Bears’ defense should be falling apart… should be.
Instead, it’s leading the NFL in turnovers by a wide margin. There are only four players in the entire league with at least four interceptions, and the Bears have three of them: Kevin Byard III, Tremaine Edmunds, and Nahshon Wright.
And beneath all the chaos, injuries, and lineup juggling lies the real reason for Chicago’s defensive breakthrough: Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has quietly engineered the Bears’ biggest breakthrough of the season.
Allen’s First Year = Immediate Identity
GettyChicago Bears Safety Jaquan Brisker
This is Dennis Allen’s first season in Chicago, but you wouldn’t know it by the way his defense plays.
Ben Johnson called Allen’s third-down playcalling “very hard to prepare for,” adding, “He always finds the unblocked rusher.”
That showed up big time against the Vikings, who didn’t convert a single third-down after halftime.
Allen weaponizes unpredictability. One snap you’ll see eight players crowding the line. The next snap, every defensive end drops into coverage. Sometimes he pulls a linebacker and inserts a fifth defensive lineman. Sometimes he plays dime with six DBs, two linebackers, and three down linemen.
The point is you don’t know which picture is real until after the ball is snapped.
Grady Jarrett called it “fun.” Montez Sweat said it “keeps you on your toes.” And cornerback Nahshon Wright, who already has multiple third-down picks, says the disguises let the defense “play aggressive and make plays.”
Nothing captured Dennis Allen’s impact more than a late-game sequence against the Giants.
On a third-and-7, multiple defenders crowded the line. The Giants couldn’t diagnose who was blitzing. At the snap, Allen sent the newly acquired nickelback C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who got through untouched for a sack.
The next possession had the same look, but a different result. This time linebacker Tremaine Edmunds comes free, forcing a hurried throw on fourth down.
If Chicago Makes a Playoff Run, Start Here
GettyBears Safety Kevin Byard III
While Caleb Williams’ heroics will get headlines and Ben Johnson’s trick plays make highlight reels, the Bears’ path to January football is built on the chaos of a defense that shouldn’t be this good.
But to make matters even better, help may finally be on the way.
Pro Bowl corner Jaylon Johnson has officially entered his 21-day return window, practicing for the first time since undergoing core muscle surgery in September.
Nickel corner Kyler Gordon, who dealt with both hamstring and calf injuries, is also trending toward a return “in the near future,” according to Ben Johnson.
And linebacker T.J. Edwards (out four games and recovering from hand surgery) is expected to return soon as well, even if it means playing with a cast.
The defense has never once fielded its full starting secondary this season. If Chicago gets Johnson, Gordon, and Edwards back for the stretch run, this already opportunistic unit could evolve into something even more disruptive.
But the Bears aren’t leading the NFL in takeaways because they’re healthy. They’re doing it because Dennis Allen engineered a system that survives injuries, thrives on pressure looks, and creates doubt for opposing quarterbacks on every big down.
That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because Dennis Allen has turned an injury-ravaged unit into the most opportunistic defense in football.
And for a team that’s winning on margins, momentum, and turnovers, Chicago’s most important figure might not be a star player at all, it might be the unsung architect running the defense.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post The Unsung Architect Behind the Bears’ Biggest Breakthrough appeared first on Heavy Sports.