If it’s third down Thursday night, the Bears will likely blitz. And it’s probably going to work.
Nine of the Bears’ 17 sacks this season have come on third down. Despite being on the field less than any defense in the sport, the Bears are second in the NFL in third-down sacks.
As a result, they have the second-best third-down percentage in the NFL. They allow only 25.8% of third downs to be converted, which trails only the blitz-happy Vikings. The Bears allow only 20% of fourth downs to turn into first downs, too, which is also the second-best rate in the league.
Credit defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who lives for these moments.
“He's always been known to have a great pressure package, primarily on third down,” coach Ben Johnson said.
That’s how a team that allows six yards per play all season — tied for the most in the NFL — is somehow giving up the sixth-fewest points in the league entering Thursday night’s game against the Patriots at Soldier Field. And how a franchise that didn’t add a relevant edge rusher this season — and last week saw its highest-paid player, defensive end Montez Sweat, be suspended for two games — can rank fifth in the NFL in sacks.
That formula won't work all season long. If the Bears want to compete for a championship, they likely need to find an edge rusher, somewhere, that can contribute on third down. In the meantime, though, what Allen is doing has his flawed defense looking dominant at times. He’s given 68 points in two games this year — and 51 in the other four.
More than half the Bears’ nine third-down sacks have come by blitzers. Two of slot cornerback Kyler Gordon’s three sacks Sunday came on third downs. Both times, he forced quarterback Michael Penix to fumble.
The most impressive part was just how quickly it worked. Two of his three sacks Sunday came in under 2.44 seconds, which are the fastest by any NFL player this year. Gordon pressured Penix five times, all within 2 ½ seconds. No NFL cornerback had done that at least 2018.
The blitzing didn't start when Gordon returned from injury. Allen has blitzed a defensive back 59 times this year, second to only the Ravens. Safety Dillon Thieneman had a third-down sack Sunday. Cornerback Malik Muhammad did earlier this year, too.
That’s a credit to Allen’s creativity.
“We’re not just sitting ducks with the offense knowing what we’re going to do,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. “When they’re guessing trying to figure out what we’re going to do, it gives us an advantage.”
Putting the opponent in third down — behind quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots rank 13th in conversion percentage — is the first step. In Year 2 of Allen’s system, the Bears are playing faster because they "understand what we're trying to do at a higher level this year," Johnson said.
This week will test Allen’s game-planning prowess. With no real practices between games, Allen was forced to come up a plan that his players could learn quickly. Gordon won’t be a secret weapon this week, either.
Still, Allen still figures to find something exotic.
“It's really hard to put in a lot of crazy stuff,” Allen said. “So, you try to have some things that maybe the opponent hasn’t seen, and kind of go from there.”
