Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky leads Week 1 hot takes

Hot Take Number 4: The defense has regressed

Sunday afternoon, Bears fans saw something they were not expecting. This defense was exposed in a big way. Actually, one could argue they were either exposed or there was simply a lack of effort.

For starters, Matthew Stafford was operating in a clean pocket for the majority of the game. He took only one sack and it was at the hands of Akiem Hicks late in the fourth quarter. Aside from that play, neither Hicks nor Khalil Mack came close to getting home on Stafford.

Because of that, the Lions had five — five — players with a 20-plus yard reception. Understand, the Lions offense was without their stud wide receiver Kenny Golladay, who is good for at least one big play each game. This offense was carving the Bears up through the air and Danny Amendola led the way. Yes, you read that right.

Not only did the pass rush fail to get home, but the Bears did not get nearly enough from Bilal Nichols in the middle. This defensive line missed Eddie Goldman dearly. The ghost of Adrian Peterson ran for nearly 100 yards on just 14 carries.

In comparison to the last two years, the defensive display we saw on Sunday was horrendous. It was worse – and it wasn’t particularly close.

One player who needs to figure it out in a hurry is rookie defensive back Jaylon Johnson, who was literally run over Sunday afternoon. His tackling was some of the worst the Bears have seen in years. Chicago’s lack of corner depth could hurt them if Johnson doesn’t develop quickly.