Montez Sweat having enjoyable once more, surging throughout Bears playoff run

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Ben Johnson put a soccer in his proper hand and held it up. It was the second recreation ball bestowed following a 31-27 comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers.

The first predictably went to rookie tight finish Colston Loveland, who had eight catches for 137 yards.

The subsequent one, to a defender, wasn’t fairly so apparent.

“One guy caught my eye,” Johnson mentioned. “And it might not show up on the stat sheet, but he was around that quarterback in the second half. Montez Sweat, where you at?”

Loveland’s stat line was objectively game-ball worthy. Sweat’s three tackles and three quarterback hits? Maybe not.

That’s why the person himself didn’t see it coming.

“It meant a lot,” Sweat said in a Wednesday press conference. “I wasn’t necessarily expecting it. But it meant a lot in a playoff game in a big atmosphere.” 

Johnson was proper that Sweat’s affect could possibly be felt late in that dramatic victory over the rival Packers. He was a significant purpose why the Bears acquired harder on third down, and on that ill-fated Packers comeback, Sweat harassed Love nonstop.

[READ: Three Bears problems that must be fixed for NFL playoff game vs. Rams]

The Bears will want extra of that on Sunday in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field, with quarterback Matthew Stafford as harmful as anybody when given time to throw. He’s not terribly cellular however is sensible, savvy and removes the ball quick.

That means Sweat should lower his 3.30-second common time to strain,  the bottom common of his profession, per NFL Next Gen Stats. On the flip aspect, he generated a sack on 20.8% of his pressures, one of the best mark since his rookie yr.

That stat apart, Sweat has been tremendous productive this yr. He completed the common season with 53 tackles, together with 13 for a loss, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and three pressured fumbles. That’s the second greatest season of his profession, behind a 2023 marketing campaign break up between Washington and Chicago. He additionally had 60 total pressures, the second-best mark of his profession.

“He’s a guy that we count on, and I know the sack numbers is what everybody looks at when it comes to edge rushers. And he’s at double digits,” head coach Ben Johnson mentioned. “He has played really good football in that regard. But as I’ve told him, as the year’s gone along, for me, it’s not just the sacks, it’s also the pressures and the quarterback hits.

[READ: How Bears’ defense turned on pressure, fueled NFL playoff comeback vs. Packers]

“When you’re watching from the sideline and you’re feeling him affecting the quarterback a different type of way, I do think that’s really important. He has stepped up. I felt like that since the bye week, he’s playing really good in the running game — that gets overlooked — but also in the passing game, I felt him get after the quarterback a little bit more. So when you combine that with a guy like (Austin) Booker on the other side, who I think continues to ascend, I think it gives us a pretty good chance.”

Sweat is having fun with the heck out of this expertise.

Finding the enjoyment in work is an enormous factor for somebody who already has the accolades and the large contract that comes with it. This isn’t Sweat’s first playoff go-round however final week marked his first playoff win, a momentous event that leaves him wanting extra.

“I was thinking about it yesterday, this is probably the most fun I’ve had as a player,” Sweat mentioned. “Just playing football, playoff football. It’s fun.”

That follows a depressing 2024 marketing campaign the place the Bears misplaced a ton, fired a head coach/defensive play caller in Matt Eberflus and handled nagging accidents many of the yr.

This expertise has been the exact opposite.

“I mean, it’s a sudden change for sure man,” Sweat mentioned. “I’m just enjoying the moment, taking it day by day. So yeah, it’s a blessing.” 

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