It was a tale of two sides for the Chicago Bears in 2025. While the offense soared into the top 15 across the board—averaging 234.5 passing yards, 144.5 rushing yards, and 25.9 points per game—the defense told a far more complicated story.
On paper, the Bears defense had one glaring bright spot: they led the league with 33 takeaways. But that impressive number masked some serious underlying issues. The unit ranked inside the bottom 15 in points allowed (24.4), passing yards allowed (239.4), and rushing yards allowed (134.5) per game.
Injuries played a significant role. Key starters Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson missed most of the regular season, and their absence was deeply felt. Without them on the field, the defense simply wasn't the same.
The pass rush also fell short of expectations. Montez Sweat delivered a solid 10-sack campaign, but Dayo Odeyingbo couldn't find his footing before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. Rookie Shemar Turner was lost for the year with a torn ACL, leaving the team with just 35 sacks—ranked 22nd in the NFL.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen recently addressed what went wrong, and his answer cut to the heart of the matter. According to Allen, the team's biggest mistake was prioritizing scheme installation over the basics.
"We focused so much on installing the scheme last year because it was brand new," Allen explained. "We have a high volume of things we carry in the defense, and we focused so much on that that we lost sight of some of the fundamentals and techniques. I don't think we were as fundamentally sound defensively as we need to be."
It's a candid admission from a coach who knows that even the best schemes fall apart without solid fundamentals. The reliance on takeaways was a band-aid, not a solution.
Fortunately, the Bears have been busy addressing those gaps. In free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, they made key additions to shore up the defense. Safety Coby Bryant arrives from Seattle to help fill the void left by Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker. Oregon's Dillon Thieneman is expected to step in as a starter, while Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad and Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun add depth and youth to the unit.
For Bears fans, the hope is that a renewed focus on fundamentals—paired with fresh talent—will turn those takeaways into a foundation, not a crutch.