Chicago Bears fans are celebrating a massive defensive upgrade, but they are missing the real danger. The team just sent two first-round picks to Tennessee to get Jeffery Simmons. That move brings an elite interior pass rusher to the front seven. According to Yahoo Sports, the greatest danger to Chicago’s Super Bowl aspirations has already arrived. No NFL team permits more yards per pass attempt than the Bears, who surrender 8.7.
This number is a hard truth that no new draft pick can fix alone. Opposing quarterbacks have found ways to hit deep balls on Chicago repeatedly. They turn manageable plays into huge gains that break the defense. In five of their opening seven contests, the squad surrendered a pass completion of 40+ yards. That is a dangerous habit to take into the playoffs.
Secondary Struggles Loom Large
The problem starts with the players behind the defensive line. PFF states that Safety Cam Lewis surrendered three receptions totaling 60 yards and one score versus New England. The team also signed Coby Bryant away from Seattle, but he is still recovering from knee surgery. This leaves a soft spot for an offense that features Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That receiver already has 867 receiving yards and eight touchdowns through seven games.
Star cornerback Jaylon Johnson has not been consistent either. When targeting him this season, opposing quarterbacks have achieved a 113.1 passer rating. That is not the performance Chicago expected from its highest-profile corner. Smith-Njigba is coming off a 150-yard game against Kansas City. He will face a secondary that struggles to stop big plays. Tackling has been shaky, and communication gaps let receivers find open space.
Quarterback Time to Throw
Adding Simmons helps, but it does not solve every issue. Quarterback Caleb Williams holds the ball too long. Across four games, he has faced 12 sacks on 150 dropbacks. His average time to throw is 3.44 seconds, which ranks 23rd among 35 quarterbacks, per reports. This gives defenders time to get home even without a blitz. Byron Murphy II of Seattle has a 77.3 pass-rush grade that ranks ninth among interior defenders.
The offense needs to move the ball on the ground to help the pass defense. However, Kyle Monangai, the running back, will be absent for Chicago on Monday night. He is out with a toe injury and will miss his fourth straight game. The Bears averaged 196 rushing yards per game with him in the lineup. Without him, that number drops to 98 yards per game. D’Andre Swift must handle most of the work now.
Seattle’s run defense just held the NFL’s leading rusher to his worst performance. Kenneth Walker III gained only 36 yards on 14 carries against the Chiefs. The Seahawks defense will test Chicago’s ground game even harder without Monangai. General manager Ryan Poles knows the value of the new addition. “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to add a player, and a human, like Jeffery to our team,” Poles said in the team’s announcement. The talent is there, but the pass defense must improve to win.
