All offseason, the conversation around the Chicago Bears has been dominated by one thing: what's missing on the defensive line. Critics point to a lack of impact players, insufficient depth, and the undeniable truth that championship teams are built with elite defensive fronts. It's a chorus we've heard on repeat.

And honestly, I was singing the same tune. For months, I assumed the Bears would make significant upgrades to their D-line. But here we are in May, and the biggest additions have been Neville Gallimore, Jordan van den Berg, and 20 pounds of muscle on Austin Booker. Not exactly the blockbuster moves many expected.

But yesterday, during my lunch break, I decided to revisit the Bears-Rams playoff game—watching a condensed version for the first time since it aired. And something clicked. What stood out wasn't what the Bears lack, but what Dennis Allen is actually building.

Allen completely stymied that high-powered Rams offense by bringing pressure from everywhere. It wasn't about overpowering the line; it was about confusion, speed, and relentless blitzing.

Look at the numbers from 2025:

• Weeks 1-8: Allen blitzed on just 15.8% of snaps.
• Weeks 9-17: That rate jumped to 20.1%.
• In losses: Only 13.9% blitz rate.
• In wins: A much more aggressive 20.5%.

The trend is clear: Allen learned as the season progressed that this defense is built to blitz. And when he did, the Bears won.

Now, you could argue it's easier to blitz bad quarterbacks—and sure, that's a factor. But the real test came in the playoffs, against two elite signal-callers: Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford.

Against the Packers, Allen brought 28 blitzes on 71 snaps—a staggering 39% rate.

Against the Rams, he dialed up 29 blitzes on 78 snaps, good for 37%.

In both games, the Bears held two of the league's most explosive offenses in check. That's not a coincidence. That's a scheme evolving in real time.

Many fans see the increased blitzing as a symptom of an underperforming D-line. But the Bears' 2026 offseason moves suggest otherwise. Allen isn't just compensating for weaknesses—he's designing a defense that thrives on pressure, creativity, and unpredictability.

So maybe we've been looking at this all wrong. Maybe the question isn't "Who's missing?" but "What's Dennis Allen building?"