Chicago Bears Defense Reportedly Using A Tactic From The 1985 Team

Like it or not, the Chicago Bears defense must live with the ghosts of 1985. That group is the greatest in franchise history and maybe the greatest ever. They remain the only ones to win a Super Bowl. It has been the defense by which all others since have been measured. Plenty of units have created their own legacies. The 2001 and 2005 units were the peak of the Brian Urlacher era. The 2018 unit was a perfect balance of brains and brawn. Now, the 2024 group is hoping to join that ultra-rare tier.

They’ve done a great job so far. Tyrique Stevenson’s pick-six cemented a comeback win over Tennessee on opening day. Then, last Sunday, they slammed the door shut on the Rams with a game-ending interception. Their takeaway mentality is becoming something special. Jaylon Johnson explained it to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.

“It’s competing for somebody to make that play,” Johnson said. “Before we all go out, everybody says, ‘I’m going to get a pick.’ ‘No, I’m going to get a pick.’ ‘I’m going to get a pick.’ The D-line is like, ‘I’m going to get a strip-sack.’ It’s just competing all the time for who’s going to make that ‘it’ play.”

That internal competition is nothing new to the Bears. In fact, the 1985 team became famous for it during their run to the championship. Mike Singletary explained it in the documentary America’s Game.

The mystique of the Chicago Bears’ defense remains intact.

Say what you will about the organization and its ongoing headaches on offense, but it rarely fails when it comes to building great defenses. Chicago has had at least one top-10 defense in every decade of the NFL’s existence. Since 2000, they have had a top-5 defense seven times. That is a legacy to be proud of, and this latest group is eager to build on it. They certainly have the talent. Montez Sweat, Tremaine Edmunds, Jaylon Johnson, and Kevin Byard are all current or former Pro Bowlers. Stevenson, Gervon Dexter, Kyler Gordon, and Jaquan Brisker have shown flashes of reaching that level as well. Never mind T.J. Edwards and Andrew Billings being underrated studs.

GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus deserve credit for building this unit. It took time, patience, and a sharp eye for talent. Yet everything has come together beautifully. All 11 players act in concert with each other. Guys fly to the football. They take it away. They hit the quarterback. If they keep building on the early momentum they’ve established, this will be a defense nobody wants to play in December.