It goes without saying that the Bears need major contributions from defensive end Montez Sweat, their second-highest-paid player and their most important one other than quarterback Caleb Williams, but it’s never been more critical than this week.
Simply put, the Bears’ defense doesn’t stack up well to the high-powered Rams offense they’ll face when the teams meet Sunday at Soldier Field for a divisional-round playoff game. The Rams have the likely MVP in quarterback Matt Stafford, an array of excellent skill players and one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, while the Bears allowed the fourth-most yards and 10th-most points this season.
No one on their defense has the capacity to even that out like Sweat.
The good news for the Bears is that after underperforming last season and getting off to a slow start in this one, Sweat has been hot with nine sacks in his last 13 games and finished the regular season with 10, the second-most of his career.
Against the Rams, though, they’ll need him to be on fire.
“He’s a guy that we count on, and the sack numbers are what everybody looks at… but it’s also the pressures and quarterback hits,” coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday. “When you’re feeling him affecting the quarterback, that’s really important.”
There are ways to impact the game other than sacks, and Johnson highlighted Sweat’s strength in the run defense as well. Sweat’s presence was noticeable against the Packers last week with three hits on quarterback Jordan Love and a pass deflection, and Johnson gave him a game ball for that. But nothing wrecks an offense like a sack.
The Bears could use a few against Stafford. Leaving him time and space in the pocket is asking to lose.
Not only does Stafford know exactly where to look in the secondary after 17 seasons, but he mostly still has the physical gifts that made him dangerous in his prime. This is the best season of his career: 109.2 passer rating, 46 touchdown passes, eight interceptions and 276.9 yards per game.
He has slowed slightly, but still got the ball out in an average of 2.8 seconds per pass, 12th-fastest in the league.
“It’s pretty hard to affect the quarterback when he’s on time and getting the ball out fast,” Sweat said. “He understands coverages and he’s seen a lot of looks. He understands where to go with the ball and how to get the ball out fast. He’s just an all-time great quarterback and he’s been doing it for a long time.”
Stafford is playing with a sprained finger on his throwing hand, but said it’s a non-factor, and Sweat dismissed it as well with, “I’m going out there trying to break his finger or anything like that.” The Rams held a walk-through Wednesday instead of practice, like the Bears, and estimated on their injury report that Stafford would’ve been full-go.
Assuming that’s true, as well as that the weather isn’t prohibitive to passing, the Bears’ secondary faces its toughest challenge of the season.
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was an All-Pro selection this season, and Davante Adams is a potential Hall of Famer. They have solid pass-catching tight ends in Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee and could get rookie Terrance Ferguson, a second-round pick, back from injury. Running back Kyren Williams was sixth in rushing this season, plus he caught 36 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Bears’ cornerbacks haven’t been at their best. Nahshon Wright and Tyrique Stevenson have been up and down, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon still aren’t 100% and C.J. Gardner-Johnson missed the last game with a concussion. The Bears estimated Gardner-Johnson would’ve practiced fully Wednesday.
If Sweat, along with fellow defensive end Austin Booker and others, can pressure Stafford, it would mitigate some of that liability.
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