Montez Sweat’s Bears heater is secret to upsetting Jalen Hurts, Eagles
The Chicago Bears have passed multiple tests in order to get to the post-Thanksgiving Day portion of the schedule. They enter Week 13 and a date with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in excellent position. They have an 8-3 record and they are sitting in first place in the NFC North.
This team finished in last place a year ago, but first-year head coach Ben Johnson and his coaching staff have gotten the most out Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze on the offensive side. While the offense has gotten most of the headlines to this point, the Bears wouldn’t have been able to string wins together if the defense had not held up its end.
In recent weeks, the Bears have been leaning on defensive end Montez Sweat for both big plays and leadership. A quick look at the statistics reveals that Sweat leads the Bears with 7.5 sacks and his closest pursuer on the team is defensive tackle Gervon Dexter with 4.0 QB traps. The difference between the two seems likely to grow, because Sweat has been on a heater.
Montez Sweat has found his stride
He had 2.0 sacks and also recovered a fumble in the Week 12 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sweat has recorded all of his sacks starting with the team’s Week 7 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Shockingly, he had been kept off the board prior to that game, but he has produced steadily since then. He has had at least 1.0 sack in five of Chicago’s six games .
Johnson had been critical of Sweat early in the season. He knew the veteran defensive end was putting in the effort, but he had to do more to get his hands on opposing quarterbacks and finish his plays. Johnson likes what he has seen in recent weeks.
“He’s been heating up since the bye week,” Johnson said. “You’ve just felt it each week. He seems to impact the game a little bit more each week. It’s good to see that come on just like that… I think he’s just capitalizing on those opportunities. He’s been a good player for a long time, it’s been really good to see.”
The 29-year-old Sweat is in the middle of his seventh season in the NFL and his third with the Bears. He spent the first 4-plus seasons in Washington, and the 6-6, 270-pound edge rusher appears to be hitting his stride at the most important part of the season. He will need to be at his best in the team’s Black Friday game against QB Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.
Bears have upgraded on defense despite numerous injuries
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has helped turn the Chicago defense around this season. However, that improvement has not come in the usual statistical models. The Bears rank 27th in yards allowed and 28th in rushing yards given up. Those rankings are the same as last season, when the Bears finished with a 5-12 record and in last place in the NFC North.
However, the Bears are first on the turnover/takeaway table with a plus-16 differential. The Bears have a league-leading 16 interceptions in addition to 8 fumble recoveries this season.
Kevin Byard and Nahshon Wright both have 5 interceptions while linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has 4 picks. Wright took one of his interceptions back for a touchdown in the Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Injuries have taken their toll on the Bears defense, as the starting linebacker crew of Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell were all injured and could not play against the Steelers. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves the way previous Bears teams might have done, the backups and the rest of the defense came through at the key moments.
Defensive end Daniel Hardy is not a starter for Allen’s defensive lineup, but he has contributed all 11 games. He explained the mindset the Bears have and their outlook for the rest of the season.
“It’s about how you look at it,” Hardy said, per The Athletic. “When a guy goes down, you don’t look at it like a loss. You look at it as someone else’s opportunity. An opportunity for somebody else in here who has been grinding, taking notes, working hard but not necessarily getting that chance to be out there. Now, all of a sudden, it’s their time to go shine, their time to go help this team.”
The Bears have a straight-forward system in place that has been designed by Allen. They have a sack leader in Sweat who is making big plays. If those trends continue, a playoff spot and a first-place finish in the NFC North beckons.
Shedeur Sanders Left to Watch as Browns’ Last-Minute Victory Comes Without His Help
Shedeur Sanders had a chance to be the hero during the Cleveland Browns‘ preseason finale, but ended up watching from the sideline.
Sanders was inserted to start the second half of the team’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. He had a pretty miserable time, getting sacked five times for 41 yards lost and notching just 14 passing yards.
The Rams scored just before the two-minute warning to take a one-point lead. It looked like Sanders would get a shot at redemption to help the Browns win the game. But Cleveland rolled with veteran Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, who is unlikely to make the 53-man roster.
“Obviously, we didn’t play great as an offense in the second half and that’s never on one person,” Stefanski said. “We can be better in a bunch of areas. Just felt like we wanted to give Snoop one last drive.”
Shedeur Sanders: ‘I Didn’t Know I was Out’
Sanders appeared to confront Stefanski on the sideline, pleading his case to go in.
“He’s a competitive kid,” Stefanski said. “The plan was to go with Snoop there. I wouldn’t make it anything more than that.”
Sanders said he was preparing to go into the game and was surprised he did not.
“I didn’t know I was out. I was on the bike, I was powering up for that two-minute drive. That’s a situation every quarterback dreams about,” Sanders said after the game. “That’s a situation I’ve been in before. I thought I was in but then he told me I wasn’t.”
It ended up working out for the Browns. Cleveland drove 46 yards and Andre Szmyt drilled a 47-yard field goal as time expired for the 19-17 victory. Still, the decision not to give Sanders the opportunity didn’t sit well with some.
“I’m not sure why the Browns have QB Snoop Huntley in there right now with the 900 quarterbacks on the roster,” NFL insider Josina Anderson wrote on X. “Unless Shedeur Sanders’ oblique is bothering him to the point of not playing, he should’ve had the 2-minute situation to see what he could do with it—despite the protection woes since he entered the game as the 3rd quarterback today. Oh, and there was no need to see Joe Flacco play today and take up valuable evaluation reps.”
Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel Thrive in Preseason Finale
While Sanders struggled, Joe Flacco — the Week 1 starter — and Dillon Gabriel thrived. Flacco completed 9-of-10 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Gabriel played the majority of the second quarter, notching 129 yards and a score. Most of that production came on a well-executed two-minute drill before half.
Flacco is entering his 18th season but can recall being in Sanders’ shoes.
“I remember like yesterday. That’s part of being a rookie. You’re going to get thrown into situations that you don’t think are ideal. I got put into a game against New England with two minutes left, and I fumbled on the 1-yard line. They score two plays later,” Flacco said in his postgame press conference. “That was John Harbaugh’s first preseason game. He was not happy. I wasn’t happy either. But that’s part of the game and what makes a football player. Learning to deal with those situations. We’ve all been there. It’s part of the game.”
The Browns are expected to keep four quarterbacks — Flacco, Gabriel, Sanders and Kenny Pickett — on their 53-man roster. Cleveland opens the regular season on Sept. 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
