Chicago Bears fans are well aware that the team is struggling on the offensive line, but you might not know that the other side of the line of scrimmage has been one of the best units in the NFL.
The Bears are ranked No. 1 in the NFL for pass-rush win rate, according to metrics by ESPN, through two weeks — beating opposing offensive lines on their pass rush an eye-popping 63 percent of the time.
Of course, on the other side of the coin, the team’s pass blocking currently ranks 30th (43 percent win rate), and the run blocking is ranked 17th (72 percent win rate), but we’ll ignore that for now.
Chicago’s pass-rushing has come from an unusual place — its defensive tackles — as the team has three players in the top five of pass-rush win rate at that position.
DeMarcus Walker has registered just three total tackles and no sacks through two games, but those stats don't tell the true story. He's been the second-best defensive tackle in pass rush in the NFL, beating opposing offensive linemen at a 30 percent clip.
Alongside Walker, Andrew Billings (26 percent win rate) ranks third in the NFL, and Gervon Dexter Sr. (21 percent win rate) ranks fifth in the NFL.
Though Walker and Billings don’t have any sacks so far, Dexter Sr. has two to his credit.
And speaking of sacks, defensive end Darrell Taylor has come up with a pair of them as well. But it's not as if he's merely benefitting from his dominant teammates.
Taylor, a first-year Bear, ranks sixth in the NFL among defensive ends in pass-rush win rate, beating offensive linemen 31 percent of the time.
As a team, Chicago ranks 10th in the NFL with three sacks per game.
If that success holds up, there’s good reason to believe that Chicago can still be a playoff contender this season — as long as the other side of the line finds a way to improve.
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