The Packers Exposed The Truth About The Bears' Defense

The Bears surrendered 31 points and 428 yards to Green Bay, dropping their defensive rankings from sixth to 20th in EPA/Play and from seventh to 10th in Success Rate allowed. Their points allowed average jumped from 16.3 to 19.2 per game after the loss.

Chicago faced the Vikings with backup quarterback Carson Wentz in bad weather, the Eagles with one of the NFL's worst offenses under Nick Sirianni, and the Jets led by Geno Smith. Those three opponents combined for just 9.3 points and 217 yards per game against the Bears.

Chicago led the NFL with 33 takeaways and a +22 turnover differential last season, which covered up a defense that ranked 29th in yards allowed, 27th in Success Rate, and 21st in EPA/Play. Since high turnover rates are difficult to sustain, defensive regression was widely considered inevitable.

Chicago's biggest addition was former Seahawks safety Coby Bryant on a three-year, $40 million deal, but he suffered a knee injury in training camp that sidelined him four to six months. The Bears also drafted Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round, while their issues up front remained largely unaddressed.

According to nfeloapp.com, Chicago faces the NFL's seventh-toughest remaining schedule after Week 5. That means the Bears can no longer count on soft matchups to hide their defensive deficiencies the way they did during the Weeks 2-4 stretch.