The Chicago Bears' defense improved their overall play in the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo also had an underrated game, a good sign for Chicago's defense.
The Chicago Bears' defensive performance against the Minnesota Vikings in the 9-3 loss at Soldier Field was overlooked with Caleb Williams' injury in the fourth quarter.
After giving up 478 yards of total offense and 37 points to the Carolina Panthers in the Week 1 win, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit limited the Vikings to 246 total yards and 3 of 13 on third down attempts.
Minnesota scored 39 points in the Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers.
It's fair to question how much of an impact the consistent downpour at Soldier Field impacted both offenses, but that shouldn't take away from what the defenses accomplished in Week 2.
Someone who had an underrated game and season thus far after the first two weeks is defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. He has eight total pressures, one sack, two quarterback hits and five hurries in 74 defensive snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The 6-foot-6, 286-pound defensive end played 369 snaps in eight games last season and finished with 10 total pressure, one sack, two quarterback hits and seven hurries. Odeyingbo has already matched and is close to exceeding his pressure numbers just two games into his second season with the Bears.
That's significant especially since the Bears desperately needed players to step up opposite of Montez Sweat, who led the team in sacks (10) and pressures (54) last season.
"You know, there's growth there," Odeyingbo said about his play this season. "Just continuing to, you know, strive for it to be better every day."
Against the Vikings, Odeyingbo led the defense with three total pressures, including a sack. He also helped fellow defensive end Austin Booker get his first sack of the season after occupying two defenders, freeing up Booker to sack quarterback Carson Wentz.
Odeyingbo was effective against Minnesota when he lined up inside of Sweat. In the first three plays in the clip below, that's exactly what happens and they all occur on third downs throughout the game. The last play is Booker's sack, and look how excited Odeyingbo is for his teammate after the play.
The Bears didn't get the result they ultimately wanted against the Vikings, but the defense's improved play is one of the positives from the game. Odeyingbo and the rest of the unit will have to prove that the Week 2 performance wasn't just a result of the wet conditions.
"I think we did a good job of knocking the line of scrimmage back," Odeyingbo said. "I think we were able to do well in situational, like end of half, red zone, third and fourth down, we were able to get off the field. So I think those are some things we can carry over in the next week."
Allen's defense will get their next opportunity in the Week 3 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football.
