The Chicago Bears’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night made a few things evident.

On the positive side, quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense proved that they can keep up with one of the best offenses in the NFL. On the negative side, Chicago’s defense showed it can’t slow down those types of offenses.

The Bears defense has raised more questions than answers over the last month of the regular season. The unit has given up an average 28.7 points in three games against playoff teams like the Green Bay Packers and the 49ers in the month of December. It also held the 4-12 Cleveland Browns to three points in its best showing of the season earlier this month.

Chicago has shown that type of good and bad throughout the season. The Bears are elite at forcing turnovers and lead the league with 32 through 17 games. But when the Bears don’t get takeaways, some of their warts are revealed.

So how good is the Bears defense with a game left in the regular season before the playoffs start? Here’s a look at what the numbers say.

Living near the bottom

A quick glance at the numbers isn’t pretty for the Bears defense. The unit ranks near the bottom of most major defensive categories this season.

Chicago has some of the worst averages in the NFL. The Bears have given up the fifth-most total yards per game (357.3) and rushing yards per game (135.3) to go along with the 12th-most passing yards per game (222). Yet despite those numbers, Chicago has given up the 11th-most points per game (24.8).

Those are some of the worst numbers amongst teams in playoff contention heading into the final week of the regular season. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have given up more points per game, the Buffalo Bills have a higher rushing yards allowed average while five teams have higher passing yards totals per game.

A deeper look also shows how opponents exploit the Bears defense. Quarterbacks average 6.8 yards per completion, the fifth-most in the league, and a 66.8% completion rate, the seventh-most, against the Bears, according to Pro Football Reference. Meanwhile, opposing rushers are averaging 5 yards per carry against Chicago, the fourth most.

Overall, the Bears have done well in terms of stopping opponents on third and fourth down, as well as in the red zone. They have the 19th-lowest third-down conversion rate allowed (40.4%), ninth-lowest fourth-down rate (47.8%) and 18th-lowest red zone rate (58.5%).

Those numbers compare well to other playoff teams, too. Nine teams are better on third down and in the red zone, but five are better on fourth down.

The numbers reflect what Bears fans can tell at times by watching games: Chicago has a bend-don’t-break defense. The unit will give up plenty of yards. But it also turns away opponents from scoring touchdowns by either making key stops in critical moments or forcing a turnover.

The Bears have used that formula to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and win their first NFC North title since 2018. But performances like Sunday show how it can be flawed at times, especially against playoff-caliber teams.

Same old pass rush

There are numerous reasons why the Bears’ defense struggles at times, as it did Sunday. But one of the consistent issues throughout the year has been the lack of a pass rush.

Chicago hasn’t pressured quarterbacks much at all this season. The Bears have the 11th-fewest sacks (32) despite having the league’s 11th-highest blitzing rate (24.1%). They’re tied for the sixth-fewest quarterback pressures (104) and ninth-fewest quarterback knockdowns (37) to go along with the seventh-fewest quarterback hurries (35).

For context, the group has never been fully healthy as Bears general manager Ryan Poles hoped. Rookie defensive tackle Shemar Turner, whom the Bears wanted to rush from the outside at times, missed most of training camp before he tore his ACL in Week 8. The team’s top free agent pass rush acquisition Dayo Odeyingbo tore his Achilles in Week 9, while defensive end Austin Booker missed the first seven games of the season.

But even with injuries, Chicago hasn’t gotten enough production from what they did invest into the defensive line. It’ll be a major area for improvement for Poles in the offseason.

Forcing mistakes at a record rate

While teams can’t live or die by creating takeaways, you also can’t diminish a team forcing turnovers either. The Bears have forced turnovers seemingly at will for much of the season and changed the trajectory of games because of them.

They lead the league with 32 total takeaways, two ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and also lead the NFL with 22 interceptions. The defense has forced a turnover in nine straight games and forced multiple turnovers in a game nine times.

Chicago will have some work to do to match the 36 that the defense forced in 2018. That’s two behind the 38 the Pittsburgh Steelers forced in 2019, which is the most the league over the past eight seasons.

Strong performances

Let’s finish off on a positive note. Despite the inconsistency at times, the Bears’ defense has had strong individual performances this season.

Safety Kevin Byard has had a renaissance season at 32. He leads the league with six interceptions, the second-most he’s had in a season, along with seven passes defended. Byard earned his first Pro Bowl honor since 2021 when he went with the Tennessee Titans. It’s the most picks a Bear has had in a season since 2017 when Kyle Fuller finished with seven.

Cornerback Nahshon Wright has also had a career year with the Bears. He’s tied for second in the league with five interceptions to go along with two timely forced fumbles. Defensive end Montez Sweat has also put together a nice season with 9.5 sacks, which is the second-most in his career.