Chicago Bears: Three reasons to be excited after big win over Bucs

Reason #2: Defense excels again, despite injuries in secondary

The reason the Bears were 2-1 after three weeks of the NFL season was the team’s stellar defensive unit. The Bears franchise has a rich tradition of elite defensive players, and outside linebacker Khalil Mack will be added to that list as long as he stays healthy. Mack was acquired from the Oakland Raiders in the offseason in exchange for two future first-round draft picks.

What seemed like a steep price at the time may end up being a steal of a trade if Mack keeps up the pace he’s set early in the season. Mack recorded a sack and forced a fumble in each of his first four games. He also had an interception that he returned for a touchdown in week one. Mack may just be a serious contender for NFL MVP if he keeps this up.

Mack and his teammates did a great job of containing surprising Bucs quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. “Fitzmagic” struggled on Sunday, making inaccurate throws and getting picked off once in the first half. After a hot start to the season, “Fitzmagic” ran out and he was benched in favor of original starter Jameis Winston, who returned from a short suspension this week.

The Bears secondary was missing a key piece on Sunday in cornerback Prince Amukamara, who had a hamstring injury. Backup cornerback Marcus Cooper was also out with injury. There were concerns heading into this game about the secondary’s ability to cover talented Bucs receivers like Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson. The team showed early on that this wouldn’t be a problem.

The defense used quarterback pressure to force bad throws by both Fitzpatrick and Winston. Even after the quarterback switch, the Bears got after the more mobile Winston and forced him to throw two interceptions in the second half. This defense continues to show that they’re one of the very best in the entire league. They’ll be a lot of fun to watch in the coming weeks.