Chicago Bears Run Defense Faces Another Test Against Jets
Through the first two weeks, the Chicago Bears’ run defense was poor. In Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, Chicago allowed 125 rushing yards. Then in Week 2, the Bears allowed 119 rushing yards in a rainstorm.
The way Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles started, it looked like the Bears were on course to allow well over 100 rushing yards again. However, the game ended much differently than it started
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Chicago Bears Run Defense Stepped Up Against Eagles
In the first half, the Bears struggled to contain Saquon Barkley. He had rushes of 17 yards, 14 yards and 12 yards. The Bears' defense was leaving huge holes for Barkley to run through. That was especially concerning given how much the Eagles' offensive line had struggled to start the year.
Barkley ended the first half with 73 yards on 11 carries. Chicago only went into halftime up 10-7. So Barkley's success was a bad trend.
That said, the Bears' run defense tightened up in the second half. Barkley had just four carries for nine rushing yards. After giving up big runs early, the Bears were able to do a much better job of limiting Philadelphia’s rushing attack.
Some of that improvement can be explained by the game situation.
The Eagles were trailing by two scores for most of the second half. That meant that Jalen Hurts and the Eagles would have to rely more on the passing game. With Philadelphia trying to make up ground, there were naturally fewer opportunities for Barkley to carry the ball
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Still, the Bears deserve credit for what they did when Philadelphia did run the ball.
Chicago’s defensive front appeared much more effective at plugging running lanes after halftime.
The Bears did a better job of getting bodies to the line of scrimmage and preventing Barkley from consistently finding the open space he had in the first half.
That is particularly notable for a defense that has had problems stopping the run dating back to last season.
Dennis Allen did a great job of making the correct second-half adjustments to slow down Barkley. Now they just need to start games like they ended the Eagles game.
Breece Hall and the New York Jets Are the Next Test for the Bears’ Run Defense
Through three games, Breece Hall has rushed for 163 yards on 51 carries. While that's only an average of 3.2 yards per carry, he's still very dangerous. Hall has the speed to make any defense pay if they leave a wide-open hole.
This is why Allen and the Bears' defense need to pick up where they left off against the Eagles and stop the run on Sunday. If they don't, this could end up being a close game all the way through.
On the other hand, if they can stop Hall, it makes everything else a bit easier. The Jets are still trying to find out who their second receiving weapon will be alongside Garrett Wilson.
They drafted tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper this year. Cooper is already on injured reserve with a sprained ankle.
Last week against the Lions, the Jets' entire tight end room got involved. New York's tight ends recorded 13 catches on 14 targets for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Sadiq led the way with seven catches on eight targets for 105 yards and one touchdown.
Even so, the Bears' defense proved against the Eagles that if they can make a team one-dimensional, they can have success. The test will be whether they can carry that success over and stop the run from the start on Sunday.
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