The Chicago Bears have had a thrilling defense all season, one that not only leads the league in takeaways overall, but also leads the NFL in the most interceptions grabbed this year.
That defense has been led by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and secondary coach Al Harris, who has been given his respect in the spotlight as well, for all the work he has done with several key players being missed through most of the season.
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Coming into Week 16, the Bears will need their defense to continue their dominant ways coming off a 31-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns, but the test will be tougher as they welcome the Green Bay Packers to Soldier Field on Saturday night. The Packers will come into this game without star pass rusher Micah Parsons out for the year due to a torn ACL, and two of their top offensive stars are questionable for the prime-time showdown as well.
Here are the top three defensive keys for the Bears-Packers rematch in Week 16:
Find the ball and get the ball
Green Bay does not turn the ball over, ranking as one of the best teams in the NFL in ball protection but the Bears were able to pick off quarterback Jordan Love once in their Week 14 game. For the most part, Love and Green Bay didn’t find themselves in much danger and it goes without saying how crucial that takeaways are for the Bears this season, and any chance they have to disrupt the rhythm, they have to make the most of it. The defense will have to be aggressive, yet smart, in getting after the ball when it’s there for the taking.
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Disrupt Jordan Love
Love threw the one aforementioned interception against the Bears two weeks ago, but he was also only sacked once and had just eight incompletions in the game. Although at times he has had roller coaster performances throughout the season, Love was able to do whatever he wanted against Chicago and made play after play whenever it was needed for the Green Bay offense.
Eliminate all big play opportunities
In their first matchup, running back Josh Jacobs broke off a 21-yard run for his longest rush and wide receiver Jayden Reed also had a 15-yard rush. Combine those rushes with a 41-yard reception for Christian Watson, a 45-yard longest reception for Bo Melton, and a 21-yard Josh Whyle, and all it spells out is big play after big play for Green Bay. Chicago is going to have limit the big play chances for the Packers as it is beyond deflating to any momentum during the game. Both Jacobs and Watson are questionable coming into this game, and that’ll be news to monitor going into Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Packers: 3 keys for Chicago’s defense in Week 16
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