Enough about the offense, Chicago Bears' defense has issues as well

For all of the analysis of quarterback Mitch Trubisky and head coach Matt Nagy in recent days — and hand-wringing over the anemic offense — one would think this is all that ails the 3-4 Chicago Bears.

Of course, all is not lost, and two of the hot topics this week have been last year's 3-5 Dallas Cowboys, who went on to win seven of their final eight games and the NFC East, and the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs, who started out with a coaching staff that included offensive coordinator Doug Pederson and quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy and went on to win its last 10 games to claim a playoff spot.

Yes, stranger things have happened than the Bears shedding their current malaise and still providing some fireworks before this season is lost.

But their current problems aren't all on Trubisky, Nagy and the offense.

The Bears finished the 2018 season ranked third in total defense, first against the run, seventh against the pass, fourth on third down and first in points allowed.

Through seven games this season, the Bears' D finds itself seventh in total defense, sixth vs. the run, 10th vs. the pass, fifth on third down and tied for fifth in points allowed. This year's group is not that different statistically from where it was last year through seven weeks.

But this defense just doesn't have the same buzz as last year's did, and here's why: The Bears are tied for 13th in the league with 11 takeaways, 18th in picks with 5 and tied for 16th with just 19 sacks.

We knew there was an element of luck in last year's otherworldly takeaway and interception totals and six defensive scores, as well as the NFL's third-best 50 sacks, but the drop-off this season is about more than just bad luck.

As linebacker Danny Trevathan pointed out Tuesday, “There's no finger pointing or blame game. We're all going to push one another and on a team like this we're going to face adversity, but you can get better or you can get worse.”

Certainly the loss of defensive end Akiem Hicks has hurt, and the pass rush has dissipated noticeably since he went down in London.

Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano says the Hicks injury is no excuse.

“Would we love to have Akiem back? Yeah,” Pagano said. “We don't have him, so it's next man up. Everybody just has to do their job. It's not a situation where it's like, ‘Oh, 96 ain't in here so …'

“Those guys are (darn) good football players. I have to be better; everybody has to be better.”

Even linebacker Khalil Mack is struggling, although in his case it's with double and triple teams to beat every time the ball is snapped, but Mack knows the answers have to come from within.

“You could say this is missing, that is missing, but ultimately you can control only what you can control,” he said, “and I know defensively it's going to be huge for us to step up and take over games and dominate games at this point.”

“There's a whole bunch of talking we could do — I'm an action guy. I like to go out and show it, and that's what I'm looking forward to seeing — these guys go out and show how we're going to respond.”

I'm with Mack on that, but for his team to respond he's going to need some help from guys who have been uncharacteristically quiet in recent weeks, most notably, linebacker Leonard Floyd, linebacker Aaron Lynch and safety Eddie Jackson.

While linebacker Roquan Smith's travails have been well documented, Floyd has been shut out since setting off fireworks with 2 sacks in the opener against Green Bay. Lynch has just 1 sack and 3 tackles all season, and Jackson just 2 passes defensed and nary an interception.

When the big dogs eat, the Bears' defense dominates, momentum flashes in the blink of an eye, and the team stacks wins quicker than I-Hop stacks flapjacks.

But as long as Mack, Trevathan and cornerback Kyle Fuller, who is having another All-Pro worthy season, are alone in the buffet line, these Bears are going nowhere regardless of what Trubisky and Nagy do.

• Hub Arkush, the executive editor of Pro Football Weekly, can be reached at harkush@profootballweekly.com or on Twitter @Hub_Arkush.