Bears Defense Ranks Among the Top of the League in 'Havoc' Metric

Through the first seven weeks of the 2026 NFL season, the Chicago Bears' defense has produced some mixed results. 

Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has had key playmakers in and out of his unit for various reasons, forcing the veteran coach to try different combinations on the defensive line, linebacker and secondary.

In the games against the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers, the Bears consistently gave up explosive plays, exposing the weaknesses throughout the entire unit. In just those two matchups, Allen's unit allowed 68 points and 906 yards of total offense. 

But against the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons, Chicago's defense allowed 51 total points and 908 yards of total offense. In the Thursday night win over the Patriots, New England scored 24 points, but held the Patriots to 70 rushing yards, 2 of 7 on third downs and forced a red zone interception. 

Again, a mixed bag of results. 

Even though Allen hasn't had a defense at full strength at any point this season, the Bears are still top five in "Havoc," according to Ian Hartitz.

This is a metric that accounts for the percentage of plays a defense gets a pressure, tackle for loss, forced fumble, interception or pass breakup. The Bears are fourth in the NFL with a 41.0% Havoc percentage. Only the Vikings (46.8%), Seahawks (42.7%) and Browns (41.3%) have been a more disruptive defensive unit than the Bears. 

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Allen is putting his defense in a position to execute and the players are capitalizing. With the addition of nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon, Allen has utilized his unique skillset to get after the quarterback. In 48 defensive snaps across two games, the veteran defensive back has four sacks, more than what he had through his first four years in the NFL. 

According to Pro Football Focus, 18 players have accounted for at least one quarterback pressure. Nine different players have recorded at least one sack, and the team is tied for the seventh-most in the NFL with 19 through the first seven games. The Bears' 10 total takeaways is also tied for the seventh-most. 

The Bears are manufacturing disruption, but their defense isn't a finished product. Chicago relies heavily on blitzing, ranking fourth in the NFL with a 40.6% blitz rate, to generate pass rush. Despite that aggressiveness, they rank just 20th in the league in total pressures (85), according to Next Gen Stats. 

With the NFL trade deadline approaching, adding another disruptive defensive linemen could be what the defense needs to create even more havoc this season.