The Chicago Bears' defense racked up six sacks in Sunday's victory against the St. Louis Rams. That continues an impressive stretch for the Bears' pass rush, which now leads the league with 14 sacks through the first three games of 2012.
Bears head coach Lovie Smith believes the intensity of the defensive line stems from the pressure that players feel to perform in practice. That may be due to the fact that the team dresses seven out of their ten linemen for any given game, meaning in-house competition is plentiful, as Smith told ESPN Chicago's Michael C. Wright:
"We base it a lot on how they practice each week. They realize that, so you have to have your A-game every day to get into a position to play these games. Maybe it's just as simple as that."
The Bears defense may need to continue to take down opposing quarterbacks at an alarming rate, as Chicago's own offense hasn't lived up to its billing so far. Next up for the Bears and their vaunted pass rush is the Dallas Cowboys, who have allowed quarterback Tony Romo to be sacked seven times thus far.
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