The Chicago Bears have their Wild Card matchup lined up and will take on the Green Bay Packers for the third time this season. This contest will come on a short week, with the game taking place on Saturday night.
With the Bears having to deal with a Packers team that's rested, they also have some looking in the mirror to do. Some things need to be cleaned up, including some defensive issues, and following Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions, safety Jaquan Brisker talked about why defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit struggled.
"We were playing a whole bunch of man today. No help in the middle. Lotta picks and rubs," Brisker said (h/t @grotesports). "Really, (the Lions) schemed us up, and we had to do a better job covering. They just got us in the right call. They just out schemed us, just being honest.”
And for a player that's in a contract year, criticizing the coaching staff ahead of the playoffs doesn't seem like the smart approach.
Jaquan Brisker Criticizing Staff After Week 18 Loss to Lions Wasn’t Smart
In the Week 18 contest, Detroit quarterback Jared Goff went 17-of-30 for 228 yards against man coverage. Against zone coverage, he was 10-of-12 for 103 passing yards per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
These numbers show that the pass defense as a whole didn't play well, and that falls on the players out there. Whether it was man or zone coverage, the defense wasn't good enough. And the fact that Brisker said to the media they were out-schemed isn't ideal nor smart.
You don't need to create unnecessary storylines going into the most important part of the season. And that's exactly what he did. In the loss to the Lions, Brisker finished with eight total tackles and two pass deflections.
Despite that, it's been a shaky season for Brisker, which isn't fitting heading into a contract year. He's been awful in coverage this year, according to Pro Football Focus, giving up 31-of-41 targets (75.6%) for 302 yards, four touchdowns, and a career-worst 118.1 passer rating.
He hasn't been reliable in coverage, so the fact that he called out the coaching staff before he's slated to hit free agency isn't a smart choice. Things like this matter, especially since it was said publicly. Brisker didn't keep those feelings in house, and that could have an effect at the negotiating table, especially if Allen & Co. feel like they can't trust him as much.
That's a strange strategy for an impending free agent, and it'll be interesting to see if it ends up being what seals Brisker's potential Bears exit.