Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is owed an apology after the start his unit has put together this season. They have allowed nine, seven and 12 points over their past three games, but next Sunday’s road meeting with the Green Bay Packers will test whether that surge can travel after Chicago’s lone road game thus far produced a 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Locked On Bears host Lorin Cox argued that Allen’s defense has moved beyond a favorable-schedule explanation. Cox pointed to three consecutive opponent season lows: the Minnesota Vikings scored nine points at Soldier Field, the Philadelphia Eagles scored seven, and the New York Jets scored 12. The Bears enter Week 5 at 3-1 with the Packers matchup set for noon CT on Oct. 11 at Lambeau Field.
Cox credited the improvement to a more disruptive pass rush and to Allen’s ability to create hesitation with disguised coverages. He highlighted a Jets snap in which a shifting secondary look made Jets quarterback Geno Smith hold the ball long enough for the rush to finish the play. That connection between coverage and pressure is the clearest sign that the defense is functioning more cohesively than it did a year ago.
The upcoming test is less about asking Chicago to remain a top-five defense all season than it is about avoiding the kind of game that puts the offense into a shootout. Cox noted the Bears have shown a pronounced home-road defensive split dating to last season, and the Panthers game remains the only road sample this year.
Green Bay offers a different challenge from the recent home stretch. The Bears will face the Packers on the road, travel to the Atlanta Falcons the following week, host the New England Patriots, and then visit the Seattle Seahawks. Three road games in four weeks will provide a much firmer answer on Allen’s unit than its first month could.
Chicago does not need Allen’s defense to hold every opponent under 13 points. It needs the unit to remain organized, create enough disruption, and give its offense a manageable game when it leaves Soldier Field. Green Bay is the first immediate chance to show the improvement is portable.
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