2025
2025 season · Weeks 1 to 22 · 11-6
Bears defense
Every snap the Bears defended, what it cost them and how they got there: the league ranks the player pages quote, where offenses find room, how this defense plays, and who plays in it.
- How good+0.02 EPA a play allowed, 17th of 32, and 0.01 above what the offenses they faced usually manage (18th).
- How they playThey blitz on 29% of dropbacks, the 15th-most in the league, and get pressure on 21%.
- Where offenses find roomOn the ground: 4.8 a carry, 29th, and runs outside right gain 5.6 a carry.
- Who hurt themAmon-Ra St. Brown (DET): 261 yards and +19.6 EPA on 28 touches, the most anyone has managed against them.
How good is itthe defense against the league, and game by game
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA per playevery snap | +0.02 | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Pass EPAper dropback | +0.05 | 17th of 32 | 48th | |
| Rush EPAper designed run | -0.03 | 20th of 32 | 39th | |
| Success rateplays that gain enough | 47% | 25th of 32 | 23rd | |
| Explosive rate20+ pass, 10+ run | 12% | 29th of 32 | 11th | |
| Yards per play | 6.1 | 29th of 32 | 11th | |
| Yards per carry | 4.8 | 29th of 32 | 11th | |
| Third downsconverted against them | 41% | 20th of 32 | 39th |
| Stat | Value | Rank | League | Pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sack rateper dropback | 5.9% | 21st of 32 | 36th | |
| Pressure rateper dropback, PFR | 21% | 22nd of 32 | 33rd | |
| QB hit rateper dropback | 14% | 23rd of 32 | 30th | |
| INT rateper dropback | 3.9% | 1st of 32 | 98th | |
| Red-zone TD ratetrips ending in a touchdown | 57% | 16th of 32 | 52nd | |
| Points per drivetouchdown 7, field goal 3 | 2.23 | 23rd of 32 | 30th | |
| Takeawaysper game | 1.9 | 1st of 32 | 98th | |
| EPA against expectationallowed minus the offenses' usual | +0.01 | 18th of 32 | 45th |
Each bar is the league's 32 defenses; the marker is the Bears. Right is better for the defense, so a low EPA allowed sits right. The pressure rate is PFR's pressures (hurries, hits and sacks) per dropback. EPA against expectation compares each game with what that offense averaged in its other games, so a strong schedule is not held against them.
They held 10 of 17 offenses below their usual EPA a play. The biggest stop: Week 15 against the Browns, 0.29 a play under their norm. The offenses they have faced average 0.00 a play elsewhere, the 24th-toughest schedule of offenses.
vs MINL 24-27-0.19usual -0.11
at DETL 21-52+0.41usual +0.06
vs DALW 31-14-0.06usual +0.11
at LVW 25-24-0.20usual -0.22
at WASW 25-24-0.06usual +0.01
vs NOW 26-14-0.30usual -0.07
at BALL 16-30+0.22usual +0.02
at CINW 47-42+0.22usual -0.02
vs NYGW 24-20+0.00usual +0.01at MINW 19-17-0.19usual -0.11
vs PITW 31-28+0.00usual +0.03
at PHIW 24-15-0.02usual +0.03
at GBL 21-28+0.24usual +0.11
vs CLEW 31-3-0.47usual -0.17vs GBW 22-16+0.06usual +0.12
at SFL 38-42+0.29usual +0.08vs DETL 16-19+0.14usual +0.08Where offenses find roomthe field, the run lanes, the positions and the situations
The soft spot is deep middle: +1.95 EPA a throw against a league +0.73. The lockdown zone is intermediate right, -0.08 a throw (league +0.26). Completions against them run 4.0 points over expected, 29th-best in the league.
Every pass they faced with a charted air distance and side, sacks excluded. Green is a zone where they allow less than the league, red more. How often shows the share of throws against them there.
Offenses run for 4.8 yards a carry against them, 29th of 32. The leak is outside right: 5.6 a carry and +0.18 EPA (league 5.2, +0.07).
| Position | Targets a game | Yards a game | EPA per target | Fantasy points allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wide receivers | 17.918th | 162.626th | +0.3123rd-toughest | 25.22nd-most30.72nd-most36.22nd-most |
| Tight ends | 7.418th | 51.714th | +0.1511th-toughest | 7.315th-fewest10.215th-fewest13.115th-fewest |
| Backs, receiving | 5.110th | 27.16th | +0.0519th-toughest | 17.716th-most19.716th-fewest21.716th-fewest |
| Quarterbacks | – | – | – | 18.111th-most18.111th-most18.111th-most |
Who hurt them most
| Player | Team | Touches | Yards | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | 28 | 261 | 3 | +19.6 |
| Jameson Williams | DET | 12 | 182 | 1 | +13.0 |
| Tee Higgins | CIN | 9 | 121 | 2 | +10.5 |
| Ricky Pearsall | SF | 8 | 85 | +9.2 | |
| Chris Olave | NO | 7 | 98 | 2 | +8.5 |
| Darius Slayton | NYG | 4 | 89 | +7.0 |
Targets, yards and EPA per target by the receiver's position, ranked 1st for the toughest defense: the same numbers a receiver's This week panel quotes against this defense. Fantasy points allowed follow the scoring switch. Who hurt them ranks every opposing player by EPA on his targets and carries against this defense.
Their biggest third-down edge is third-and-7+: offenses convert 21% against a league 26%. They are stingiest in 3rd down (-0.16 a play, league -0.05) and weakest in the two-minute drill (+0.21, league +0.03).
| Situation | Plays | Allowed | League | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st down | 465 | +0.07 | +0.01 | +0.06 |
| 2nd down | 338 | +0.06 | +0.02 | +0.04 |
| 3rd down | 191 | -0.16 | -0.05 | -0.11 |
| 3rd and 1 to 3 | 69 | 65% | 60% | +5 pts |
| 3rd and 4 to 6 | 36 | 44% | 44% | +1 pts |
| 3rd and 7+ | 86 | 21% | 26% | −5 pts |
| Red zone | 158 | -0.09 | 0.00 | -0.08 |
| Two-minute drill | 126 | +0.21 | +0.03 | +0.18 |
| When they lead | 501 | -0.04 | -0.01 | -0.03 |
| One-score game | 752 | +0.02 | +0.02 | +0.00 |
| When they trail by 9+ | 59 | +0.17 | +0.04 | +0.13 |
EPA a play allowed, or for third downs the share converted (a first down or a touchdown). Green is better than the league for the defense. Score states are from the defense's side.
How they playpressure, the box, what offenses try, discipline
They send extra rushers on 29% of dropbacks and average 4.4 rushers; 72% of dropbacks see four or fewer. They allow +0.12 EPA when they blitz and +0.02 when they do not.
They put 6.5 defenders in the box on runs, eight or more on 10%. Into a light box (six or fewer) runs gain 5.0 a carry; into eight or more, 4.4.
Offenses lean on the run against them: 6 points under their expected pass rate on early downs in a neutral game. Play action gains +0.12 EPA against them on 26% of throws; screens -0.07.
43 defensive penalties for 405 yards, 32 of them first downs, the 7th-fewest. They miss 9% of tackle attempts by PFR's count, 17th-best.
The defenderswho plays, and what each one has done
Montez Sweat leads the pass rush with 25 pressures and 10 sacks on 73% of the snaps.
| Player | Snaps | Pressures | Sacks | QB hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98Montez SweatDE | 73% | 25 | 10 | 18 | 13 | 48 | 3 |
| 99Gervon Dexter Sr.DT | 62% | 21 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 43 | |
| 50Grady JarrettDT | 56% | 11 | 1.5 | 8 | 1 | 39 | |
| 97Andrew BillingsDT | 48% | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 28 | |
| 94Austin BookerDE | 47% | 18 | 4.5 | 12 | 5 | 35 | 1 |
| 55Dayo OdeyingboDE | 36% | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 21 | |
| 90Dominique RobinsonDE | 20% | 4 | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 18 | |
| 91Chris WilliamsDT | 20% | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 14 | |
| 93Joe Tryon-ShoyinkaDE | 11% | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 96Tanoh KpassagnonDE | 9% | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Tremaine Edmunds plays 74% of the snaps with 108 tackles and 1 sacks.
| Player | Snaps | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | Pressures | Targets | Rating allowed | Missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49Tremaine EdmundsMLB | 74% | 108 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 63 | 79.7 | 7 |
| 53T.J. EdwardsLB | 52% | 67 | 2 | 0.5 | 5 | 44 | 92.3 | 4 |
| 44Noah SewellLB | 39% | 58 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 102.2 | 9 | |
| 48D'Marco JacksonLB | 26% | 43 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 52.6 | |
| 45Amen OgbongbemigaLB | 8% | 17 | 4 | 99.0 | 1 | |||
| 47Ruben Hyppolite IILB | 3% | 6 | ||||||
| 48Carl JonesLB | 0% | 11 |
Nahshon Wright is the hardest to complete a pass against: a 81.5 passer rating on 93 targets.
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Catches allowed | Yards | TD | Rating allowed | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9Jaquan BriskerSAF | 100% | 45 | 34 of 45 | 409 | 5 | 102.9 | 1 | 8 |
| 31Kevin ByardFS | 100% | 45 | 29 of 45 | 515 | 7 | 91.3 | 7 | 8 |
| 26Nahshon WrightCB | 97% | 93 | 56 of 93 | 744 | 5 | 81.5 | 5 | 11 |
| 29Tyrique StevensonCB | 55% | 57 | 33 of 57 | 512 | 1 | 82.3 | 1 | 10 |
| 35C.J. Gardner-JohnsonSAF | 52% | 51 | 35 of 51 | 360 | 3 | 89.3 | 2 | 4 |
| 24Nick McCloudCB | 42% | 26 | 20 of 26 | 236 | 2 | 103.3 | 2 | |
| 1Jaylon JohnsonCB | 26% | 18 | 13 of 18 | 203 | 94.0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 6Kyler GordonCB | 12% | 5 | 5 of 5 | 49 | 1 | 116.7 | ||
| 22Elijah HicksSAF | 6% | 5 | 3 of 5 | 24 | 72.1 |
Tackles, sacks, QB hits, TFL, interceptions, passes defended and forced fumbles are nflverse's weekly stats; pressures, targets, catches and yards allowed, passer rating allowed and missed tackles are PFR's charting. Snap share is the season average of defensive snaps.