The Chicago Bears have had a number of great defenses over the years, with the unit of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen hoping to establish themselves among them. Chicago made a notable change in the offseason, making a push towards youth. It would give the Bears a higher ceiling for a longer period of time if the moves work as hoped and perhaps give the team a chance to right a surprising stat when it comes to recent defensive performance.
NFL pundit Warren Sharp highlighted the longest droughts without a defensive shutout, with the point of the tweet being that it had been 34 years since the Washington Commanders had a shutout. However, caught at this point is the fact that Chicago has the fourth-longest drought, with 16 years going by since the last time the Bears' defense was able to keep an opposing offense off the scoreboard.
As a reminder of how long ago this was for the Bears, it was Jay Cutler starting at quarterback, Matt Forte as the team's leading rusher, and Devin Hester returning kicks. This points to just how many variations of the franchise fans have watched since the last time a defensive shutout was offered. This is a feat that the Bears could accomplish in the 2026 season, with a handful of games standing out as obvious opportunities.
Bears Have a Chance to Put Together First Defensive Shutout Since 2010 Season
The New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers are all on Chicago's schedule, with each of these five games coming with a clearly limited offensive ceiling for the opposing team. It is fun to consider the fact that the Bears have a chance to rewrite recent history and put themselves back in the conversation among the league's better defensive units by putting together a shutout.
It is important to note here that the obvious goal is doing whatever it takes to win games and set up a deep January run. However, a fun byproduct of this could be putting together a performance that fans haven't been able to enjoy in 16 years. It is an accomplishment that would be fun to celebrate under Allen and hand the Bears a lot of 2026 momentum.
Looking at the most likely options to accomplish this, the Vikings do stand out based on the quarterback debate and lack of offensive consistency in recent seasons. There is also the fact that Chicago will get two divisional matchups against the franchise, giving the Bears a clear opportunity to erase a surprising drought.
| More Bears News and Rumors |
Add us as a preferred source on Google