The Chicago Bears recorded their first victory of the Ben Johnson era on Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys. Behind a stellar performance from the offense, Chicago scored 31 points. While the offense delivered one of the best games of Caleb Williams’ career, the defense played just as well, holding Dallas to 14 points.
The Bears were able to accomplish that without three of their top defenders. In spite of a great overall defensive performance, Chicago's pass rush was still an issue. Making things even more frustrating, one former Bears pass-rusher enjoyed a breakout game with a division rival in Week 3.
Former Bears DE Al-Quadin Muhammad Shined on Monday Night
Veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad shined in the Detroit Lions' victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. He accounted for two quarterback hurries and five pressures. His 2.5 sacks were more than the Bears as a team notched against the Cowboys. In addition, he logged a pass rush grade of 75.0 and an overall grade of 74.5. His relentless motor was on full display in that game.
Muhammad simply looked like a completely different player than the one who spent the 2022 season with the Bears. During his short tenure in Chicago, the 30-year-old recorded 29 tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits, 16 QB hurries, and 19 QB pressures. Furthermore, he earned a pass rush grade of 46.7, a run defense grade of 57.0 and an overall grade of 53.9, according to PFF.
His poor play in 2022 didn't inspire Bears fans or the front office to keep him. After leaving Chicago,
Muhammad bounced around two teams before ending up in Detroit in October of last season.
Though he did play for the Lions in 2024, his impact was minimal. Even still, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had nothing but positive things to say about the veteran during training camp this year. Thanks to Marcus Devnport's injury, the 30-year-old was provided a chance by his coach, which he took full advantage of on MNF.
Bears fans would have loved to see that level of play from him when he was in Da Windy City. Instead, they got performances that were mediocre at best from Muhammad. That likely comes down to the fact that the Bears didn't have the correct coaches in place during his season with the franchise.
Maybe under this new regime with harder coaching, Muhammad would have been successful. Nevertheless, the Bears must figure out how to create more pressure and sacks with their current defensive line going forward.