Bears show intriguing wrinkle on defense that worked incredibly well against Bengals

Bears show intriguing wrinkle on defense that worked incredibly well against Bengals originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

CHICAGO – Throughout the offseason much of the talk has been about the drastic changes on the Bears offense, but during Saturday’s game indicated that the defense might stick with some changes they made halfway through the 2023 season, then ditched. The team dialed up a handful of blitzes with their nickel corners against the Bengals, and those blitzes led to a lot of success.

“For him to open up the playbook for us is almost like a compliment,” said Josh Blackwell. “He can trust us well enough to make the play when it’s there.”

Blackwell created one of the two Bears interceptions with a well-timed blitz in the second quarter. Blackwell hit Bengals QB Logan Woodside right as he threw, the ball fluttered in the air and Amen Ogbongbemiga was able to settle under it for the catcher

Kyler Gordon was the first man to make a big play with a nickel blitz, when he lit up Woodside for a big sack in the first quarter. He said that plays like that can change the game, not just because of the big loss of yards or the change in possession. They can change the complexion of a game for a QB.

“You get pressure on him, you get a hit, then he doesn’t want to get hit no more,” Gordon said. “So he’ll start looking around and being more aware of that.”

Gordon’s point was perfectly illustrated later in the third quarter. Reddy Steward (along with linebacker Micah Baskerville) was the man coming on the nickel blitz this time. Steward didn’t get home, but sped up the quarterback’s clock. That led to a throw which Terell Smith was able to undercut for an interception.

Head coach Matt Eberflus downplayed any perceived uptick in blitzing after the game, and pointed to Ronde Barber’s prowess as a blitzer in the nominal Buccaneers’ Tampa 2 system. Barber had 28 sacks in 241 career games for the Bucs, ranks as the No. 1 sack leader for…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-show-intriguing-wrinkle-defense-225810741.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-08-17 22:58:10

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