Chicago Bears: 3 Vital statistics for 2019 season
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Go back to Vic Fangio’s first season in the Windy City as defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2015. He inherited a unit that finished 30th in the league in total yards allowed per game and gave up 46 offensive touchdowns. That 5-11 squad surrendered a whopping 442 points on the way to a last-place finish in the NFC North.
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Slowly but surely, the Bears began to show improvement over this side of the football. And this past season, thanks to additions such as outside linebacker Khalil Mack (via a trade with the Oakland Raiders) and 2018 first-round draft choice Roquan Smith, this unit hit its stride.
Only two teams in the league surrendered fewer yards per game and Chicago allowed an NFL-low 283 points. The club came up would 50 quarterback traps, 12.5 by Mack, and led the league with 36 takeaways. Chicago also paced the NFL with 27 interceptions, nearly half of those via the combination of cornerback Kyle Fuller (7) and safety Eddie Jackson (6).
Of course, Fangio has moved on and is now the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Entered Chuck Pagano, who has made his way around the NFL, his most recent stint being the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2012-17.
It will be interesting to see if there is there are any differences when it comes to this unit. Regardless, coming up with takeaways is never something a team can count on. So can these Bears be just as opportunistic as they were in 2018?