Chicago Sun-Times · 5 days ago
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's big question: To blitz or not to blitz?
With star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on the sideline on third-and-10 late in the first half Monday night against the Seahawks, Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen blitzed slot cornerback Kyler Gordon as his fifth pass rusher.
No one touched quarterback Sam Darnold, however, and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba dusted cornerback Tyrique Stevenson on a slant-and-go for a 43-yard touchdown.
‘‘When it doesn’t work out, you kind of wish you had it back,’’ Allen said. ‘‘And yet we’re going big-game hunting.’’
That mindset worked through seven weeks, when the Bears blitzed a whopping 40% of the time and pressured the quarterback 35% of the time, according to TruMedia.
