Bears Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen Turns Shortage Into Surplus

The Bears have already given defensive coordinator Dennis Allen a couple of game balls, so doing this is no longer sufficient.

Maybe they need to give him a whole bag of game balls.

On Sunday his defense took the Atlanta Falcons straight out of their game plan from the beginning of the game until the subs came on far too early in a 31-23 Bears win. The phrase "his defense" is being generous.

No Montez Sweat. No Dayo Odeyingbo. No T.J. Edwards. No Tyrique Stevenson, for what it's worth. They cut Xavier Woods, who had started at safety and got burned by the Packers.

They were starting two defensive tackles the Atlanta Falcons didn't want any longer. They're using James Lynch and Daniel Hardy at defensive end, Noah Sewell at linebacker, Malik Muhammad for Stevenson, Kyler Gordon playing for the first time this year and even Elijah Hicks got an appearance.

Yet, NFL rushing leader Bijan Robinson was rendered a non-factor. Michael Penix Jr., the savior of the Falcons franchise, couldn't find targets most of the game as he rushed throws or was sacked. Gordon came up with three sacks, including the clincher with his second strip sack of the game, Hardy made his first career sack. Sadly, Allen couldn't make Nick McCloud look good in coverage, and why he's even back on the roster isn't known, but everything else he did looked golden.

About all Allen didn't do right was putting subs in once the Bears led by 24 points in the fourth quarter. It nearly opened the way for the Falcons to get back intot he game before Gordon's big sack.

It's as if Allen reaches into a bag and grabs players and throws a bunch on the field, says go get 'em, and they do. Instead of giving him drafted players, they'd be better off giving him an entire defense of waiver-wire castoffs and they'd shut teams out every week. OK, it's an exaggeration but he's almost doing it anyway with the lack of help the personnel department gives him.

The Falcons had only 97 yards in the first half and only scored after they briefly seized momentum following a Cairo Santos' field goal miss from the 46-yard line. A 56-yarder shouldn't be a big risk for a big boy kicker with the roof shut in the stadium.

The offense contributed some points, lots penalty flags and good possession time. The defense won the day, though. And it was lopsided, so Atlanta obviously needs to add talent. Maybe their personnel guru Matt Ryan can do this for them. Meanwhile the Bears head on toward a Thursday night showdown at home with defending AFC champion New England at 4-2 on the year and in good shape.

Allen always says it's the next man up. For the Bears, it was next man and then next man and then next man up and they all kept producing like starters or even better than starters.

Allen seems at his best when the assignment is to take subs and make them start. He did this last year with the first four linebackers gone and their best two cornerbacks. He did this again Sunday, no sweat, or Sweat.

There is a constant barrage of Bears social media traffic blasting GM Ryan Poles for not drafting defensive linemen but what's the point? Allen simply takes refuse from other teams and uses them effectively.

Street wasn't just a player the Falcons let leave, he didn't even make their roster last year. He was a practice squad player for 10 games. And he was breaking up a screen pass in the first half the way an All-Pro does it. Then Jarrett reminded the Falcons of his long servitude there with a sack in the second half as Atlanta threatened after yet another penalty, this for defensive pass interference.

The Bears' defense not only overcame their own injuries but all the penalties against their own offense and themselves with a referee crew that just loved throwing yellow things.

Eventually this type of thing can't work, but the Bears had ball control and Williams looking better than ever in his return working on their side Sunday to compensate.

Sure, they'll need Sweat, Edwards and Odeyingbo back in the future.

It's unlikely they'll get back many starters with only four days time until the next game, but that's the way Allen likes it. Lack of talent along with lack of prep time should probably mean a shutout win based on the way Allen does things.