Bears DE Montez Sweat turned up the pressure vs. Panthers

The Chicago Bears defense proved to be the difference maker in Thursday night’s win over the Carolina Panthers.

It’s no secret the defense has been a huge point of contention this season, but against a bad Panthers offense, they did what they should’ve done — they stopped them. In fact, Chicago held Carolina to just six points (while special teams allowed the Panthers’ only touchdown).

Defensive end Montez Sweat, who was traded to Chicago on Oct. 31, put on a show for the Soldier Field crowd in prime time. While Sweat wasn’t one of the three Bears who recorded a sack, he did log three QB hits and generated an insane amount of pressure.

According to Next Gen Stats, Sweat generated eight pressures in his second game with Chicago, which marked the most pressures by a Bears pass rusher since Robert Quinn in 2020.

Sweat has totaled 45 pressures this season, which is the fifth-most in the entire NFL.

Montez Sweat generated 8 pressures in his second game with the Bears, the most by a Bears pass rusher since Robert Quinn in Week 13, 2020.

Sweat has recorded 45 pressures this season, 5th-most in the NFL.#CARvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/T5T7szpGqC

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 10, 2023

Sweat’s impact goes beyond his individual production, which was noticeable on Thursday night. But Sweat’s presence allows others like Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green to shine as Sweat commands double teams.

Following Thursday night’s game, Sweat reflected on his expectations over the next four years — and they’re quite high.

“Everything is on the table,” Sweat said, via the Daily Herald. “I want to be a Pro Bowl guy, I want to be an All Pro, I want to be a Hall of Famer. I want to maximize my potential.”

It might only be two games, but it’s easy to see Sweat’s potential in this defense.