The defense went into Week 17 last season with exactly one active defensive lineman (Will Sutton) who had been with the team in training camp. Injuries and other upheavals combined to impede progress toward full cohesion among the “3” of the Bears’ 3-4.
Perhaps not completely surprising, the Bears were among the bottom feeders at stopping the run (4.5 ypc.), worse even than the year before under defensive coordinator Mel Tucker; only three teams allowed more. The group’s best pass rusher was a rookie nose tackle (Eddie Goldman), with veteran Jarvis Jenkins starting impressively (three sacks through four games), then only 2.