Despite defensive struggles, the Bears excelled at crucial third-and-short stops, even forcing game-changing turnovers in key moments.
The Chicago Bears had a porous defense last season.
The only thing that the team did relatively well was taking the ball away. The Bears led the league with 33 turnovers.
Outside of that, Chicago allowed the 11th-most passing yards (239.2), sixth-most rushing yards (134.5) and 10th-most points per game (24.4).
Starters like Tremaine Edmunds, Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Nahshon Wright and others are now gone.
As good as the Bears' offense was, the defense didn't do them any favors. Chicago ranked inside the top 15 for multiple offensive metrics, but was constantly trying to climb out of holes that the defense put them in.
This kind of play just isn't sustainable for a team that has hopes of reaching a Super Bowl for the first time since 1985.
With all the problems that the Bears had on defense, they stood tall when it mattered on 3rd and short.
According to Warren Sharp on X, the Bears allowed teams to pick up a first team in Third and Short situations 65% of the time last season.
If you thought the defense was pretty bad last season, it's clear that things could've been much worse.
Multiple plays in 2025 could've shifted games if the Bears weren't able to get stops on crucial 3rd and short situations. One that comes to mind is against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.
The Bears held a narrow 10-9 lead in the second half. Chicago was able to get Philadelphia into 3rd and 1 on its own 12-yard line. In a move that surprised no one, the Eagles lined up for their infamous "Tush Push" play. Jalen Hurts received the snap under center and tried to advance the ball, but Wright came in and forced a fumble, shutting down the Eagles' offense.
The Bears' offense went down and scored a touchdown on the following drive to make it 17-9. Chicago went on to win that game 24-15 after a 28-yard touchdown catch from tight end Cole Kmet.
If the Bears weren't able to stop the Eagles from getting that first down, there's a chance that the game would've been much closer in the fourth quarter. The win set up a massive game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, with the NFC North lead on the line.
These kinds of stops can really make the biggest difference at critical points late in the season, as it did in Week 13.
The Bears still have a lot of work to do if they want to improve on defense. Luckily, General Manager Ryan Poles understood that and found replacements at safety and linebacker in free agency.
The Bears' most significant moves were safety Coby Bryant, linebacker Devin Bush and defensive lineman Neville Gallimore.
This team had its fair share of mishaps on defense, but at least the team knew when to come together when it mattered most.