CHICAGO (670 The Score) – When the Bears acquired pass rusher Montez Sweat from the Commanders in exchange for a second-round pick and signed him to a long-term contract extension days later, they believed he would represent a significant investment for their entire defense.
That has indeed been the case. Sweat has made a big impact in his first five games with the Bears, who have continued to establish their defensive identity and often dictated games on that side of the ball with his help. That trend continued in the Bears’ 28-13 win against the Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field, where Chicago’s defense pitched a shutout in the second half.
Sweat’s fingerprints were all over the win, as he recorded two shared sacks on Lions quarterback Jared Goff and brought more pressure on key plays. The Bears held the high-power Lions offense to 267 yards.
“It speaks for itself,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said of Sweat’s impact. “Obviously, a guy that plays with a high motor, a guy that can put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. He’s helping us out a lot, just affecting the quarterback, speeding up things. You’re seeing guys make plays off that.”
As the Bears looked to close out the Lions in the fourth quarter, Sweat got home on Goff for a half-sack with defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. It put Sweat at 9.5 sacks for the season, which marked a new career-high. About three minutes later, Sweat recorded another shared sack of Goff, this one being credited in conjunction with defensive lineman Justin Jones’ effort.
With that, Sweat reached double-digit sacks for the first time in his five-year NFL career.
“That was a goal that I've had ever since I got in the league,” Sweat said. “So, it’s definitely was a good day for me.”
Sweat also had five tackles, four quarterback hits and a pass break-up Sunday. He has been a consistently disruptive player for the Bears’ defense, which has also helped Chicago force turnovers in a way it hadn’t early in the season. The Bears have a combined nine interceptions over the last three games, including five of Goff.
As coach Matt Eberflus has often noted, the Sweat effect has helped the Bears’ defense become a game-changing unit as Chicago is 3-2 since his arrival.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.