If the Bears defense just gets another top corner, they’ll be good. No, they need a playmaker who can create turnovers at safety. Stop it. All of this has to do with the pass rush. It just needs more consistent. Get one more guy for that and they’ll be good to argue. There is some truth to these arguments but at the same time it’s not seeing the actual picture. That boring part of playing defense nobody wants to talk about these days.
Why can’t the Bears win football games? One reason nobody wants to talk about is they can’t stop the run. Seriously, in this era of pass-first offense it’s a subject that gets ignored way too often. John Fox may be an old coach but he knows this game better than most armchair GMs out there. He wasn’t lying when he said stopping the run is the vital key to great defense.
Apparently it’s also a key to winning in the NFL. Don’t believe it? Here are some numbers to chew on.
Bears defense must learn how to stop the run
For starters, look back at the 2016 season. Identify the teams who finished with a top 10 run defense and many of them have the same thing in common. They were playoff participants.
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- Dallas Cowboys*
- Tennessee Titans
- New England Patriots*
- New York Giants*
- Baltimore Ravens
- Carolina Panthers
- Seattle Seahawks*
- Green Bay Packers*
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Diego Chargers
Those teams that didn’t have a top run defense who still made the playoffs? They have a common thread as well. Most of them had the benefit of a franchise quarterback.
- Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)
- Matt Ryan (Atlanta)
- Matthew Stafford (Detroit)
- Derek Carr (Oakland)
- Alex Smith (Kansas City)
Only Houston and Miami came in with relatively averaged QBs and they were benefited by extenuating circumstances such as a weak division or easy schedule. The truth is history favors this stance that the Bears win when they can stop the run on defense. Just look at their records during years they fielded a top 10 unit since 2000.
- 2001: 2nd (13-3)
- 2006: 6th (13-3)
- 2008: 5th (9-7)
- 2010: 2nd (11-5)
- 2011: 5th (8-8)
- 2012: 8th (10-6)
The proof is hard to deny. Every year the Bears had a top run D, they never finished below .500. Meanwhile all those other seasons where they finished outside the top 10 didn’t go well at all, save for 2005. That year they finished 11th. Since their last good year in 2012 they have failed to finish higher than 17th.
Importance of interior defense can’t be understated
People will continue to talk the same stuff. Leonard Floyd needs to be the great pass rusher. Prince Amukamara and the other corners have to cover. Quintin Demps and those safeties need to get their hands on some football. All true, but first things first. The middle of that Bears defense has to make sure the opponents can’t run. That means Eddie Goldman at nose tackle and inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman.
Shot 1 – #Bears Eddie Goldman is so stout at the point of attack. Really tough run defender; has come into his own pic.twitter.com/ohdgj7idlo
— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) September 16, 2016
It’s not a coincidence that two of the three wins Chicago had in 2016 came when they allowed 66 and 57 yards respectively on the ground. The other win came in that blizzard game against San Francisco when all the 49ers did was run. The Bears allowed under 100 yards in five games last season. They were 2-3 in those games and two of those losses they suffered were by seven points total.
Perhaps NFL iron man James Harrison said it best:
“…If we let them run the ball up and down the field against us, that leaves other things open in the passing game. If you can’t stop the run, you definitely won’t be able to stop the pass. They’ll just play-action pass you over your head.”
It really is that simple. Boring, maybe. Extremely important nonetheless. Until the Bears solve this problem, all the fancy pass rush and coverage discussions won’t matter.
