For an entire century, the Chicago Bears have been an organization that has been able to pride itself on being one of the most dominant and destructive defenses in all of professional football. Even during the most challenging periods in team history, when the offense was comically bad and the franchise as a whole felt both hopeless and directionless, the defense has often held up and maintained their Monsters of the Midway moniker.
Thus far during the 2025 season, the only thing scary about these monsters has been how, well, hopeless and directionless their performance has been. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions have scored 73 points over the last five quarters. I don’t need backup from Stathead or StatMuse or ESPN Stats and Information to tell you that 73 points is an abhorrent total.
However, courtesy of The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain, here are some numbers that illustrate just how awful the 52-21 loss to the Lions was.
Since at least 1977, the 8.8 yards per play the Bears allowed versus the Lions was the most that Chicago has allowed in a game.
It’s the first time the Bears allowed 50 points in a game since 2014, and it was only the second time the Bears allowed 500 yards of offense in a non-overtime game since 2013. The other was also at Ford Field, when the Lions won 41-10.
The Bears’ defensive EPA (expected points added) per play was -0.42, the second worst in 406 games since 2000.
It’s never good when you’re getting into historically bad territory, and that’s especially true when you’re a first-time head coach with just two games under your belt. But this is the position that Ben Johnson finds himself in. But in fairness to Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator turned head coach who is calling the plays for the Bears offense, we can only put so much of the blame for Chicago’s defensive struggles on him.
Ben Johnson Comes to Rescue of Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen
Most of the blame will inevitably rest on the shoulders of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who after a failed stint as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints returned to the role that most believed he was far more comfortable in. But through two games, Dennis Allen has no reason to feel comfortable just yet, even if Ben Johnson is saying all the right things.
“We brought in Dennis Allen for a reason — he does a phenomenal job coaching it to not only the coaches but the players,” Johnson said this week. “I got a lot of faith and confidence that the experience we have on that side of the ball is gonna shine through for us, and we’ll get this thing back cranking the way we want it to go.”
Ben Johnson better hope things get back cranking the way the Bears want it to go sooner rather than later, because Chicago now finds themselves in an 0-2 hole with a pair of losses in the division, and it’s barely mid-September. Their margin for error is now razor thin, especially with Jaylon Johnson potentially done for the season and a bloodbath of a schedule still coming up.
Speaking of bloodbaths, the Bears currently rank last in the league in both points allowed and yards allowed per play, according to Pro Football Reference. This a dangerous combination for any team, but it’s a mortal sin in the city of Chicago.
Yes, there are a handful of injuries that factor into these struggles. Both Jaylon Johnson and TJ Edwards left Sunday’s loss to the Lions early after not playing at all against the Vikings, and nickel corner Kyler Gordon still has yet to suit up. But when the defensive performance is this bad, it goes a lot deeper than just being a little short-handed.
There are fundamental problems with the way this group is constructed. The defensive line has no pop. Montez Sweat hasn’t lived up to billing, Gervon Dexter has yet to make the leap, and both Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo, Chicago’s two biggest additions on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, aren’t true game wreckers.
The depth behind Johnson and Gordon in the cornerback room is being exposed. Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown were working the Bears secondary like a speed bag on Sunday afternoon, and sure, that’s one hell of a quarterback-wide receiver combo to have to contend with, but nobody is going to have sympathy for the Bears just because they’re missing their top two cornerbacks.
A lot of money was spent on TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, but in 2025, is that really where you want a big chunk of your salary cap devoted?
So while we can point the finger of blame at Dennis Allen, Ryan Poles, the injury bug, or anyone else, in the end, finger pointing isn’t going to help the Bears solve these issues, and evidently, Ben Johnson knows that. Now it’s just about putting in the work to turn this thing around before this season gets even uglier than it already is.
“So I don’t think the attitude of being all dreary and the world is coming down, I mean, it is what it is. And when I say it is what it is, I’m not excusing the act because we shouldn’t be giving up 50, period,” Johnson added. “But we got to go back and work, we got to learn. We got to take our pain and put it into our preparation so this won’t happen again.”
Ben Johnson Makes Dennis Allen Statement After Abysmal Defensive Performance