Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington was pleased with the increased pressure the front four generated in last Sunday's game against the Vikings.
After recording one sack in each of their previous two contests versus the Patriots and Packers, the Bears registered three sacks and nine quarterback hits against Minnesota.
"It was more impactful, for sure," Washington said Tuesday. "That was really a point of emphasis. We talked about just kind of reestablishing our defensive identity as far as rush and coverage working together and that being the way that we generate pressure, not necessarily with our blitzes."
Pro Bowl defensive end Montez Sweat led the way with a sack of Sam Darnold in overtime and two quarterback hits.
"I really felt Montez in the ballgame," Washington said. "Really felt him and that was great to see. He played extremely hard. And we collapsed the pocket. Did a better job with that. Didn't provide the quarterback with a lot of extra time to make off-schedule throws or escape the pocket, and I think there's more out there for us with that group."
Washington credited Sweat with tightening up his get-off and rush angles, which gave him a chance to get around the edge and help inside rushers.
"He took ownership of that, took it to heart, especially when we evaluated him and the entire crew," Washington said. "He knows we need him to do special things and he really stepped up."
Stepping up
New Bears play caller Thomas Brown has been impressed with rookie receiver Rome Odunze, who had five catches for 39 yards versus the Vikings. Odunze's 14-yard reception on fourth-and-3 sustained the Bears' touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
"Rome's an absolute baller," Brown said. "It's been that way from Day 1. I love his overall approach. I think he's an extremely mature player, especially for his age. He's been kind of a no-nonsense guy when it comes to what we ask him to do, whether it's [to] be involved in the run game and blocking, be involved in pass protection, obviously being able to kind of be accountable when it comes to the game on the line."
A week earlier versus the Packers, Odunze helped set up a potential game-winning field goal on the final play with catches of 16 yards on third-and-19 and 21 yards on fourth-and-3 on back-to-back snaps.
"It's two games in a row with fourth-down calls and he's made plays," Brown said. "It's been aggressive plays and never flinching with that mentality. But he does it every day in practice. To me, there's a direct correlation between what you're doing throughout the week and what happens on game day."
Practice makes perfect
The Bears' recovery on an onside kick against the Vikings was years in the making. Cairo Santos' spinning kick deflected off Minnesota's Camryn Bynum and was recovered by Tarvarius Moore. There have now been 3 of 37 successful onside kicks (8.6%) in the NFL this season.
"I can't speak to strategy, but it happened exactly how we wanted it to happen," said special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. "We've been working on that kick for two-and-a-half years. For two days a week for two-and-a-half years, and that one time we got a chance to do it, I was proud of those guys in that moment because they executed it. They never complained about doing it twice a week for two-and-a-half years. It takes that time and commitment and effort in order to have one successful play."
