Chicago Bears 2025: Andrew Billings again an integral part of defensive success

It was great to see Chicago Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings on the field again. The last time we saw him was in Week 8 of last season. He left the field with a ruptured pectoral muscle that ended his season. It was a huge blow to the defense.

Opponents were able to gash the Chicago Bears’ interior line, gaining a ton of yards. Quarterbacks were not under very much pressure. They stayed in the pocket until they found open receivers.

The Chicago Bears did a good job of shutting down the opponent’s run game. Just the season before, the defense ranked number one against the run. Additionally, it ranked 12th overall.

Billings was a big part of the Chicago Bears’ success on defense

Billings was a big part of that. He took a lot of double teams, which freed up space for other defensive linemen such as Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter. He was the underrated and forgotten piece of the defense. Once he went down, we saw how important he really was.

Without Billings, the Chicago Bears’ rushing defense ranked 28th. The defense overall ranked 27th. The drop in the defense was a big part of why the team lost ten consecutive games and finished with a record of 5-12.

Dexter was in his second season with the Chicago Bears in 2024. In eight games with Billings, he got off to a great season. He had 24 total tackles (3 for loss), 4 sacks, and 12 quarterback hits. In the nine games without Billings, however,

In seven games without Billings (he missed two games), those numbers dropped to 27 tackles (one for loss), one sack, and seven quarterback hits. Without having to worry about double teaming Billings, opponents put more of their attention on Dexter (as well as Sweat).

In the Chicago Bears’ second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Billings started. We saw again how important he was to the defense. He was again taking double teams. On one of those plays, he had two blockers on either side of him. Defensive end Austin Booker was able to pop through and record a sack.

That is what the Chicago Bears need from Billings again. They aren’t necessarily looking for big numbers from him. However, if he does get them, all the better. Against the Bills, he got in on the fun, recording a sack. He just needs to receive a lot of attention, though, so the other players can do their thing.

Dennis Allen comes in, and Billings and the defense are happy

This season, the Chicago Bears have a new defensive coordinator. Dennis Allen comes from the New Orleans Saints where he was their defensive coordinator before becoming their head coach. He has a different style of coaching than Matt Eberflus, the former head coach who also had control of the defense.

Allen is a lot tougher on his players and demands accountability. Billings says it was needed, and he likes that.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-bears-andrew-billings-success?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chicago-bears-andrew-billings-success