Again, this is pretty simple stuff. It’s 3rd-and-19 and the Bears basically drop back into quarters coverage. They subbed safety DeAndre Houston-Carson in for linebacker Danny Trevathan, but this still looks more like a normal 4-2-5 nickel defense than a dime package. Rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson is tight on wide receiver Robby Anderson and he’s able to knock the pass away. Safety Tashaun Gibson is moving towards the ball (always go to the football kids!) and he’s able to make a nice catch for the interception.
JJ, early in the season, I think we both felt like the Bears came out flat in some games. This was the complete opposite of that. The defense was flying around from the first snap of the game, especially up front. Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn did things that were downright mean. Those Panthers offensive linemen have children!
JJ: Or they looked like children against this Bears front!
These two games have felt like real identity builders for this Bears defense. More than anything, they’re playing nasty - and you’re absolutely right, Adam, that nastiness was lacking early in the season. But sometimes defenses take a few games to start becoming what they’ll be the rest of the season. It’s starting to feel like the Bears defense is becoming what they’ll be in 2020, with every level of this defense playing well over the last few games.
And you have a great defense when down-the-depth-chart guys are making key contributions. It can’t just be all Mack and Hicks and Kyle Fuller. The Bears are getting a lot out of Nichols and Gipson, as you showed on this play. They’re also getting it out of Houston-Carson. This three-play sequence was a tone-setter for the entire game, and if the Bears keep playing this nasty early in games, every offense they face from here on out is going to have a tough time.
Hoge: There are signs that this unit can be as impactful as the 2018 defense, especially if the takeaways start to pile up. The Bears have eight takeaways on the season, but four of those came in the last two games and we know the officials have taken a couple defensive touchdowns off the board too. The defense needs to keep delivering those game-changing plays, because as you’re about to show us, the offense badly needs the help.