The Chicago Bears are coming off their worst loss of the 2026 season and looking to turn the page against the Atlanta Falcons. No question, the offensive failures set up the Chicago defense collapsing, but giving up 31 points in the fashion that Allen's unit did last week is going to invite a clear level of questioning. This led to the defensive coordinator giving an interesting update this week when pressed on what changes were going to be made.
Allen made the comments via NBC Chicago's Natalie Spala, the coordinator kept it simple pointing out that the issues would be cleaned up in practice over the last week. The exact word Allen used when discussing the issues was that they had been "digested" and indicated that moving forward there was a sense of belief that things would get cleaned up.
It is worth noting that with the season on the line and Williams out of the lineup the Chicago defense allowed only 19 points over a two-game winning streak. Allen has proven his unit is capable of shutting down the opposing offense even when the circumstances aren't completely ideal. It will be interesting to watch if that is able to continue this week against Atlanta.
The Falcons will unquestionably be attempting to establish the run as Chicago is missing both starting edge rushers. Bijan Robinson getting on the edge is the challenge Allen has to find an answer for to prove that his defense has turned the page from struggles from a week ago.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen offers basic answer when asked about defensive struggles
Allen was encouraging in the rest of his comments but undeniably stuck to a basic playbook when answering questions. There wasn't much fire or any promises made as the coordinator clearly understands the challenges ahead for a young defense that has carried a far heavier load early in the season in comparison to expectations. This was due to Williams going down in Week 2 and still not being able to make his return, Allen deserves credit for finding ways to help the Bears win, but there is no denying the last week has been rough.
The coordinator does have a clear advantage in this week's matchup in the fact slowing down Drake London and Bijan Robinson are the only goals. While this is an undeniably difficult task the Falcons lack depth when it comes to playmakers and there is no question that the quarterback position remains a concern.
Allen's approach might be quiet and understated to last week's issues, but there is no doubt that there is every reason to trust an experienced coach who has proven to find ways to get elite results even without a star-studded roster.
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