The Chicago Bears’ 24-21 loss to the Oakland Raiders was disappointing for several reasons. But perhaps none more so than the defense’s uninspired performance.
Chicago’s defense, who entered Week 5 allowing just 62 rushing yards per game, relinquished 169 rushing yards to Josh Jacobs and Oakland’s run game.
The Bears defense, who entered Week 5 allowing an average 11.5 points per game, gave up 24 points to the Raiders. But there shouldn’t be cause for concern. The Bears’ defensive performance against the Raiders is the exception, not the rule.
Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano understands that his defense is better than that performance. So in the middle of the bye week, Pagano has a message for his defense.
“We’re a good defense,” Pagano said, via ChicagoBears.com. “We’ve got really good players, but you’ve got to be consistent. You’ve got to do it week-in and week-out. You’ve got to show up and play week-in and week-out. Take some time to get away from it. Rest. Heal up. We’ve all got to take a good look at ourselves and make sure we look at this tape good and hard.”
The Bears were dominated in the trenches on both sides of the football. They were outmatched by the size on the Raiders’ offensive line, which was able to contain edge rusher Khalil Mack and had their way with that defensive front.
But the good news for Chicago’s defense is that they’re not going to face another offensive line like that for the rest of the season. Even if they were, they have this game to draw from.
The Bears defense was bound to have a bad game. Although many didn’t expect that bad of a game against the Raiders. But this is still a championship-caliber defense that is down two starters in defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols, one of which could be ready for Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints.
