Edwards sparking defensive improvement from Bears
Seven interceptions during the last two games. One-hundred rushing yards allowed in just one of the last nine games.
The Bears defense is playing well at the right time.
And linebacker TJ Edwards is, probably not coincidentally, playing his best football. Edwards has interceptions in each of the past two games. Before that, he totaled double-digit combined tackles in three consecutive games.
Edwards, a Lake Villa native and graduate of Lakes High School, signed with the Bears as a free agent in March. His three-year, $19.5 million contract might have been one of the best deals Bears general manager Ryan Poles made last offseason. Edwards has 127 combined tackles, which ranks third in the NFL behind only Jacksonville's Foye Oluokun and Indianapolis' Zaire Franklin. In addition to his two interceptions, Edwards has two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
While the Bears defense started the season slow - this team was 0-4, remember - it has not looked like the same unit over the past month. The secondary is healthy and creating takeaways, the linebackers are playing at a high level, and the Bears added a premier pass rusher in Montez Sweat.
"First couple of games, a new scheme and things like that, you're still trying to get your feet wet, and I think you can say that for a lot of our guys," Edwards said. "But I think just the general rise of our team is guys just going out there and just putting it on the line, man. There's no holding back anything, and I think as linebackers you always want to be around the ball no matter where it is."
When the Bears beat the Vikings on Nov. 27, Edwards' interception probably wasn't even his most impressive play. That came on the play before, when he ran down Vikings running back Ty Chandler, who went in motion across the entire formation on a key third down.
Edwards isn't surprised by his tackle numbers. It's his job to be around the football. He sees that same effort from the rest of the defense.
"You see it on film," Edwards said. "You see all the plays that are being made. You see the effort that's there, and I think that's one thing that's not looked on as much is just the tenacity that we're playing with. That's hard to do every single play, where someone's giving it their all."
Adding Sweat has made a big difference for the defense. Sweat has 2.5 sacks and three QB hits over the past two games. Adding him has allowed the Bears to disrupt opposing quarterbacks better on plays when they don't send extra blitzers.
More than that, it's taking some of the pressure off the linebackers and defensive backs in coverage.
"(Sweat) is getting more and more comfortable," head coach Matt Eberflus said. "Our pressure rate has been up since he's been in there, and the last three games it's going up. So we want to continue to improve that. But it's not just the pressure, it's the coverage. The coverage has to hold up and give those guys another tick to get home to pressure the quarterback."
The Bears have five games remaining this season. They have a rematch with the Lions this weekend at Soldier Field, then winnable games against Cleveland, Arizona, Atlanta and Green Bay.
If the Bears keep creating turnovers like they have the past two games, they should find themselves playing in competitive games down the stretch.
Man of the Year
Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones has been named the team's Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominee.
All 32 NFL teams name one nominee each season for their philanthropy and community impact. The award winner is chosen during Super Bowl week.
Jones is a regular attendee of Youth Guidance's "Becoming a Man" program, a counseling program that guides young men from seventh to 12th grades. Last year, Jones also provided financial support to a Cook County single mother who was in need around the holidays.