Bears defensive end Montez Sweat went into this season with high hopes for something new. He envisioned himself making the leap from good to All-Pro, and with it, playing on a winning team for the first time in his seven-year career.
It has been a thudding letdown. Sweat has battled injuries and managed just 3 1/2 sacks and would need a serious surge over the final seven games to get back to double digits, and meanwhile, the Bears have plunged with four consecutive losses.
“I’m pretty [flippin’] frustrated,” he said Thursday, laughing a little at how obvious that is.
The Bears expected The Tez Effect, as coach Matt Eberflus calls it, to be unstoppable, which is why they gave up so much to get him (a second-round pick at No. 40 overall) and paid so much to secure him ($98 million over four years). For the highest-paid player on the team, playing the most important position other than quarterback, the contribution can’t be nuanced and subtle.
Sweat agrees. While the contract and his first Pro Bowl selection last season elevated him to a stature that compels opposing offenses to load up blocking schemes against him, superstars like Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt still find ways to overcome it and get sacks.
Sweat hasn’t had one since Oct. 27 — he missed the Cardinals game with a shin injury — and the team has only seven sacks during its four-game losing streak.
“It gets to me a little bit,” Sweat said. “As pass rushers... we’re judged on our numbers. It’s just a bump in the road. Got to keep going.
“I understand what comes with being the type of pass rusher I am. I’m going to get chipped and I’m going to get slides. We have to find a plan around that and figure out how to get [sacks].”
When asked if he’s healthy going into the Bears’ home game Sunday against the Vikings, Sweat acknowledged he’s playing through an ankle injury, but said, “It’s no excuse.”
Another big problem for the Bears, who are tied for 15th with 25 sacks this season, is that no one seems to be taking advantage of the lopsided attention on Sweat. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter leads the team with four sacks, followed by Sweat, but no one else has reached three.
Starting defensive end DeMarcus Walker, the Bears’ sixth-highest paid player this season at $8 million, has 2 1/2 sacks, and August trade acquisition Darrell Taylor had two in the season opener and none since.
“When [Sweat] is getting that attention, we need to be better,” defensive line coach Travis Smith said. “Someone else has got to come alive.”
Like everything in football, the equation is long and complex. Having a more effective pass rush really begins with shutting down the run. With the Packers getting a steady 4.2 yards per carry and facing third down just five times in six possessions, they called just 18 pass plays. Walker got the Bears’ lone sack.
It likely will play out similarly Sunday against the Vikings if the Bears can’t tighten up and create prime pass-rushing opportunities. Every quarterback’s nightmare, and likewise every defensive end’s dream, is third-and-long.
In large part because of their struggles against the run and the fact that the opponent so frequently is leading, the Bears have faced the fourth-fewest pass plays in the NFL.
The Vikings are 19th in yards rushing per game (116.4) and 26th in yards per carry (four). If the Bears contain that attack, led by former Packers standout Aaron Jones at running back, they can open up some shots at sacking quarterback Sam Darnold.
Darnold is having the best season of his career and is one of just nine quarterbacks with a 100-plus passer rating for the season, but he is liable to throw interceptions. He has thrown 10, fourth-most in the league, and the Bears’ odds of adding to that total would increase if Sweat — and others — are constantly busting into the backfield.
