The Bears' beat-up defense continues to lead the NFL with 20 takeaways, but despite their penchant for forcing turnovers, there's cause for concern heading into Sunday's game in Minnesota.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit has allowed 400-plus yards in back-to-back games, and injuries remain an issue heading into the Bears' rematch with the Vikings.
While safety Kevin Byard returned to work after a veteran rest day, safety Jaquan Brisker and linebacker TJ Edwards did not practice. Brisker injured his back against the Giants on Sunday, and Edwards is still recovering from surgery on his hand and as well as a hamstring injury.
The Bears defense already is down a couple starters, with cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon on injured reserve.
Allen wouldn't use injuries as an excuse, but did say it's about calling plays and designing schemes that work for the guys you have out there.
"That's the nature of the game that we play, you know? And so I think you have to constantly be able to evolve and change. I think you get into trouble when you just say, 'This is who we are, this is what we do, and we're just going to do that,'" he said.
Byard said the injuries present an opportunity for other players to make plays.
"Injuries happens in this league. You know, it's 100% guaranteed you're going to get injured at some point in your career," he said. "We all kind of preach in our room that you have to prepare like a starter."
Allen seems to be calling plays that work for newly acquired defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson, who has three sacks and a forced fumble in two games with the Bears.
"I've been in building every day at 6 o'clock with Coach Cannon (nickel backs coach Cannon Matthews), Coach Al (defensive backs coach Al Harris), so shout out to them guys. [Head coach Ben Johnson] put a lot of in trust in me," Gardner-Johnson said. "We trying to win. Me and Ben been to a conference championship together. So his attitude is to win now, execute at a high level, and take care of your teammates, and I think that's what I'm here to do."
Allen, who admitted he and Gardner-Johnson have very different personalities, said the two of them have a trust level with each other that goes back to their time in New Orleans, and that's part of the reason the well-traveled defensive back has been a good fit with the Bears so far.
The Bears will be trying to avenge a loss from the season opener, when they let the Vikings rally late for a 27-24 win in quarterback JJ McCarthy's first start. Pretty much everyone agrees that they're both much different teams since that Week 1 meeting.
One big difference for the Vikings is they didn't have receiver Jordan Addison in the opener. He's back, and Bears fans probably remember he torched them last year with 15 catches for 225 yards in their two meetings in 2024.