The Bears defense exhibited improvement in multiple areas between Week 1 and Week 2, limiting the Vikings on Sunday to nine points and 246 net yards of offense.
"Proud of how our defense played throughout that game," coach Ben Johnson said. "I thought they really competed their tails off and kept us in it for the most part. They brought a lot of energy, and it was good to see them respond the way that they did."
While the Bears ultimately fell in a 9-3 loss to their NFC North opponent at Soldier Field, the defensive efforts from all three levels were viewed as a positive by Johnson, who also noted that he thought the unit had a "great plan" heading into the matchup.
Veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett doubled down on that sentiment, crediting the group's strong outing to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's plan of attack as well as the players' commitment to making corrections after allowing 37 points Week 1 versus the Panthers.
"Just working, having a good week of preparation," Jarrett said. "I think coach gave us a really great plan going into this game. I think we played physical up front. And we were sticking to our coverage, for the most part. I think we had a good showing today; something to definitely build off of. Like you said, definitely want to win. But I'd be remiss to not acknowledge the growth that we had this week."
Jarrett also acknowledged that the weather "played a major factor" on both sides of the ball as there was steady rain throughout the entirety of the game.
"Rain from beginning to end, so obviously a lot of run plays," Jarrett said. "It definitely affected both teams. We just had to adjust and play the game according to what the weather allowed. And it was a hard-fought game, division game. A good opponent, we're a good team. It was a heavyweight fight today, and we came up a little bit short. And at the end of the day, a lot of things that we fell short on were in our control. That's a good positive."
One of the biggest positives from the day was the continued impact of rookies Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad II in the secondary.
Thieneman tied for a team-high seven tackles, bringing his two-game total to 15 tackles, and was one of four defenders to play 100% of the unit's snaps. The safety's most prominent play came on third-and-6 of the opening drive when he pushed Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson out of the end zone as he tried to haul in a potential touchdown pass from quarterback Carson Wentz.
A week after securing his first career interception, Muhammad recorded his first career sack. On third-and-7 near the end of the third quarter, Allen called a blitz, sending both Thieneman and Muhammad off the right edge. While Thieneman was blocked, Muhammad flew to the backfield untouched and brought Wentz down for a six-yard loss.
"Obviously I felt great getting a sack." Muhammad said after the game. "I should've had one earlier too, but I was just a hair late. But yeah, that felt great. It was a big play in the game."
With a sack and an interception in his first two career games, Muhammad became the first rookie DB in Bears history to accomplish the feat and the 10th rookie since 1982 to do so.
Both Thieneman and Muhammad contributed to the defense's overall success on third downs, having limited the Vikings to a 23.1% conversion rate.
"We made things challenging," Johnson said. "We always talk about wanting to outrun and outhit our opponent and it felt like we had 11 guys around the ball for the majority of the game."
The Bears also saw growth from the defensive line group as edge rushers Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker both recorded sacks against Minnesota. Last week, it was end Montez Sweat and tackle Kentavius Street who tallied sacks for the D-line.
"I think definitely affecting the quarterback has been on top of our mind," Jarrett said Sunday. "And we've been getting better week in, week out; from the game plan to the players, with an attacking mindset. It's something that we definitely, definitely hold in high regard. That's definitely a growth point. And obviously, some of the blitzes coaches dialing up.
"We were on today, but obviously, I'm going to keep saying it; we want to win, but there are a lot of good growth opportunities here. And things will be built off of those."
With a Monday Night Football matchup versus Jalen Hurts and the Eagles at Soldier Field on deck, the defense is focused on making another jump between Week 2 and Week 3 to help the Bears return to the win column.
"I think we did a good job of knocking the line of scrimmage back," Odeyingbo said. "I think we were able to do well in situational [football] — end of half, red zone, third and fourth down. We were able to get off the field. So I think those are some things we can carry over in the next week.
"Obviously [Hurts] is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. They play a physical game, so yeah, we have to be at our best game on defense as well."
