LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Montez Sweat has 8.5 sacks this season, a top 12 mark in the NFL. The Bears defensive end has forced four turnovers either with quarterback pressure or forced fumbles. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, that’s tied with five others for the league’s best.

He’s also on a tear of late, with 7.5 sacks in his last eight games as Chicago makes a playoff push.

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All that’s good, and an overall plus for the Bears defense and an upgrade over last season. There are other metrics that suggest there’s meat left on the bone. Sweat has a 10.8% quarterback pressure rate, his lowest total since 2021. His 3.46-second time to pressure is the longest of his career.

He’s playing a higher snap count than ever before and has been a steadily solid run defender, with a 7.3% run stop rate, resulting in a failed rushing attempt of 0-2 yards gained.

Sweat is still making splash plays despite working through regular double teams without an established threat off the opposite edge. In fact, he ranks in the top-12 among edge rushers in most playmaking categories.

[READ: What Ben Johnson, Bears must do to reach NFL playoffs, win NFC North]

How do we evaluate Sweat’s overall season to this point? Pretty darn good on the surface, even if it could be better. It’s a layered question that must be evaluated by using stats without being beholden to them.

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Bears defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett was quick to point that out, especially when evaluating defensive linemen.

“You look at some of those games and there’s hidden production,” Garrett said on Thursday. “What I mean by that is that he may not make the tackle, but he has the edge set right. He may have not gotten the sack, but he collapsed the pocket. Sometimes we get caught up in stats, pressures and things of that nature. If you watch around the league, some plays considered pressures happen when the quarterback scrambled.

“You have to rush as one (team). I think he has done a good job. In some games, the production shows up more than others.”

If we’re evaluating Sweat in totality, his impact behind the scenes carries real weight.

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Sweat preaches the “rush as one” concept despite immense pressure on him to perform. Star power intensifies the attention, even with several game-changing plays to this point putting him in a positive light.

“I don’t get a sack if, two, three, four, five, six other people aren’t doing their job,” Sweat said in an interview with Marquee Sports Network. “I believe in rushing as one. We all help each other, and that’s how we achieve success. We do it together.”

[READ: How Ben Johnson can help Caleb Williams, Bears start games faster]

That’s a point he makes in meeting rooms, where he’s adding actively engaged in the game plan and providing input from his personal film review. He also regularly orchestrates outings for his position group, dating back to last season, to enhance chemistry.

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Sweat says that’s naturally occurring without a pointed emphasis, but Garrett sees it as a real benefit for the young edge rushers especially.

“I’ve seen it this year, as far as his leadership with the guys,” Garrett said. “They trust him. He’s watching a good amount of film and showing up to the meeting with ideas. ‘Here’s what I saw. Here’s what I think will work. When they’re running, let’s look at it from this angle.’ He has done a good job of grabbing the guys and helping them. He is certainly being more vocal throughout the season.”

Garrett said Sweat’s run defense is an effective and underrated part of his game. Sweat’s pass-rush has been super disruptive lately, essentially equal to 2023 levels, after general manager Ryan Poles acquired him in trade from the Washington Commanders. Sweat had six sacks over nine games in Chicago in ’23, all in a six-game stretch, with a career-high 12.5 overall. That performance sparked the term “Tez effect,” crediting him with igniting the Bears pass rush and made those around him better.

[READ: DJ Moore still lacks consistency in Bears’ offense after loss to Packers]

Sweat has been dominant off late, as previously mentioned, with 7.5 sacks in his last eight games. After a relatively slow start, Sweat is cranking out big plays at a rapid clip.

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That’s his expectation every year, and he certainly as the physical tools and talent to do so.

“He’s guy who has to be accounted for,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “He’s big, strong and fast. His top-end speed is something that separates him. He can chase people down, as big as he is, and that works to his advantage.”

It has also worked to the Bears’ advantage, even if the overall pass-rush totals aren’t great. They rank No. 28 in pressure rate (28.9%), No. 26 in sacks (28) and No. 18 in time to throw (2.83 seconds), per NFL Next Gen Stats.

The defensive front is impactful helping the Bears perform well in areas that make them good defensively — they’re No. 8 in scoring defense (25.8 ppg) – ranking No. 15 on third down even after an outlier’s showing versus Green Bay, and No. 1 in total takeaways.

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That’s why Sweat was quick to point out that stats don’t tell the whole story, especially with how the Bears win football games. Winning is the ultimate goal. Sweat and the defensive front is helping the Bears do plenty of that.

“I feel like we’re playing a lot better than what the media’s portraying it as,” Sweat said. “I think we just need to keep on building on what we’re doing. We need to help get off the field on third down, stop the run and doing what a D-line is supposed to do.”

The post How Montez Sweat impacted Bears’ winning 2025 season, NFL playoff push appeared first on Marquee Sports Network – Home of the Cubs, Bears, Red Stars and Sky.