CHICAGO (670 The Score) — Make it four in a row.
The Bears continued their winning ways with a 26-14 victory against the Saints on Sunday at Soldier Field. There’s plenty to clean up, but head coach Ben Johnson has a glass-half-full viewpoint.
“That’s the benefit of when you win, you get to coach a little bit harder,” Johnson said.
Here are observations from a day in which the Bears improved to 4-2 with their fourth straight win.
D.A. Bears
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen downplayed the significance of facing the Saints, a franchise that fired him as head coach last November.
But the Bears knew the game meant something more to him.
“It’s always personal,” Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said leading up to the game. “Whenever you play the game, it’s got to be personal. This is personal, you know what I’m saying? Every time you get the opportunity to go out and compete, you want to win the game. You want to beat who’s across the line from you. Whenever it’s the opposite team that you used to go against or had something to do with, it might add a little extra juice to it. For him, it would definitely mean a lot to go out there and put up a good showing."
That’s what the Allen-led Bears defense did Sunday. They recorded four takeaways and four sacks on a dominant day in which they held the Saints to 253 yards and 4.8 yards per play.
When Allen was introduced as the Bears’ defensive coordinator in late January, he spoke of his hope to build an “aggressive, attacking” defense in Chicago. His unit has showcased those traits in the past month.
Bears defensive end Montez Sweat is making an impact off the edge. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is playing his best football since signing with Chicago in 2023. Safety Kevin Byard has found the fountain of youth with four interceptions on the young season. Even cornerback Nahshon Wright, an unheralded offseason signing, is changing games with interceptions.
On Monday morning, the Bears woke up leading the NFL with 16 takeaways in six games. They have ended 24.2% of opposing drives by creating turnovers.
The Bears are flying to the football in numbers and making plays. That’s how Allen envisioned it.
On a Sunday in which the Bears’ offense looked like a work in progress — “up and down,” Johnson said – the defense led the way.
Inside the victorious locker room, Johnson presented one game ball. It went to Allen. While he had downplayed the game, he certainly cherished the win.
“Sometimes, the good lord just has a freaking plan for you that you don’t know about,” Allen told the Bears. “And sometimes you ain’t good enough for someone else. That’s perfectly fine. I love being here, I love being with this group of guys, you guys worked your damn ass off. But four ain’t enough. Four ain’t enough. We’re moving on to the next one.”
Now the bad part
Throughout the offseason program and training camp, the Bears honed in on details and focused on improving their fundamentals. Johnson knew those areas had been a problem for the Bears, and they still are.
On Sunday, Chicago committed 10 penalties for 92 yards. That was bad but didn't represent the Bears' most undisciplined showing of the season. In a loss in the season opener, they committed 12 penalties for 127 yards.
The Bears are averaging 8.8 penalties per game. Those set back drives, can take points off the board and can lead to losses.
“I was hopeful that game six, we would play cleaner football (Sunday),” Johnson said.
Fixing these issues isn't an overnight fix, as the Bears' months of work but prolonged troubles show. For Johnson, all he can do is keep focusing on the issues and hope they're minimized in time.
Swift’s strides
In April 2023, the Lions traded running back D’Andre Swift to the Eagles. They did so after selecting dynamic running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the NFL Draft, believing he represented a significant upgrade in their backfield.
Johnson was the Lions’ offensive coordinator at the time and didn't seem enamored with Swift, who in the 2022 season often took a backseat to veteran running back Jamaal Williams, who rushed for 17 touchdowns that season.
Now together in Chicago, Johnson and Swift seemed to have an arranged marriage. The Bears sought upgrades at running back this past offseason but came up empty, settling on Swift as their lead back. They’re making the best of it, with Johnson relying on Swift and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy coaching him to be a more aggressive running back.
On Sunday, Swift rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown. It marked his second straight big game, as he was coming off a performance in which he rushed for 108 yards in Chicago's win at Washington.
Swift feels the faith from Johnson.
“It means everything,” Swift said. “I can’t express enough how excited I am to be back with him. Got so much respect for him on and off the field. Just the belief he has in not only in me, but the guys in this locker room, it goes a long way. Happy to play for a man like that.”
Extra points
--- On a strange weather day in Chicago, it was pouring pregame and sun soaked by the fourth quarter.
--- The Bears made a statement right out of the gate as Sweat had the strip-sack of Rattler on the Saints' second play from scrimmage.
--- Allen's defense better look closely at the Saints' final drive of the first half. They drove five plays and 91 yards for a touchdown, with Rattler suddenly picking them apart. That was troubling.
--- A few of those 10 penalties called on the Bears were questionable. There was an offensive pass interference called on the Bears in the first quarter that was wrong, then an iffy personal foul called was called on cornerback Kyler Gordon by a back judge who was about 25 yards away.
--- The Bears have left points on the field because of miscues. They also gained points Sunday as the result of one. A botched snap by center Drew Dalman on a fourth-and-goal play in the third quarter was flagged, blowing dead a play that was going nowhere. That allowed Johnson to call upon his kicking team for a field goal.
--- In the fourth quarter, Johnson was his first career challenge, with a review ruling the Saints had made an illegal forward pass on a trick play.
--- Bears quarterback Caleb Williams struggled – heck, it’s strange only mentioning him this late in the column – but the Bears were good enough to win anyway.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.