Bears DB Malik Muhammad Believes Chicago Has a 'Top-5 Defense'

Chicago Bears rookie defensive back Malik Muhammad didn't play in the 34-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football at Lumen Field because of a toe injury, but he knows what he saw. 

He watched his teammates go out and shut down the reigning Super Bowl champions, limiting them to just 252 total yards, 1 of 11 on third downs and 1 of 4 on red zone attempts. 

It was a statement win and a continuation of what the defense has done for a majority of the season outside of two games. Muhammad admitted the defense had a bad game against the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers. The Patriots did put up 380 total yards and 24 points, but even with those performances, Muhammad has a strong belief in this group. He also identified a reason why the defense may be overlooked in the league. 

"I think it's because we got that 'Iceman' on the other side of the field," Muhammad told Roundtable Sports. "I think it's because we got that 'Iceman' on the other side of the ball. People overlook us, but, man, we really are a true natural top-5 defense."

Looking at some metrics, here is where the Bears' defense ranks, according to radar360.

Not quite a top-5 unit in the above statistics, but three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons makes a monumental different for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit. Muhammad shared what his presence does for everyone on defense. 

"Bro, like you can't even explain it," Muhammad told . "We don't have to cover for as long because we got interior pressure and we got them animals on the outside, so we don't have to cover that long, and then we are stopping the run, getting them off schedule on first and second down. Then we know third down, here it come."

The Bears are the No. 1 defense in the league on third down. 

Muhammad repeatedly called Simmons a "game changer" and was astonished by the impact he can create on an every down basis. 

"I would have never thought that a D-tackle would change the game like that," Muhammad said. "Normally you think it's the edge rushers, the guys who rush the passer. He's a game changer. And you seen it like on the first drive."

Simmons played 55 of 63 defensive snaps despite joining the team four days before the Monday night game against the Seahawks. With another week to acclimate to Chicago's defense, there is even more to unlock with Simmons and how he can further elevate Allen's unit. 

“I really don't feel like we were handcuffed very much in terms of what we could do and what we could call," Allen said. "This guy's [Simmons] the consummate professional, I mean he was he was on his stuff and knew exactly what to do. We were really able to kind of go out there and just call the defense however we saw fit, so it was good to see. Certainly, as we you know have a full opportunity to game plan there's some different things that we could potentially do trying to help put him in position where he can really create some stuff for us.”