Bears' Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter are off to impressive starts in 2024

When you think of the Chicago Bears defense, it's usually star pass rusher Montez Sweat, their great group of linebackers, or their defensive backfield that come to mind. However, there are some underrated defensive linemen who have helped this team dominate through two weeks.

Those include defensive tackles Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter, who have both had incredible starts to the 2024 season. They have played key roles in the Bears defense playing as well as it has.

Billings ranks seventh among all interior defensive linemen this season, according to Pro Football Focus, in overall grade and win rate. He's also third in their pass rush grade on. Stats like these show just how dominant Billings has been when being compared to his peers at the same position.

As for Dexter, he's also been a standout, particularly as an interior pass rusher. Through two games, he's already amassed 2.0 sacks, five total tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and three QB hits.

Rushing the opposing quarterback is about as important as having a good quarterback yourself. It was a question mark coming in for Chicago, but Dexter and Billings have helped answer those questions along the defensive interior.

As other stars on the defense get going along the way as well, they could get even more dangerous than they've been. Billings and Dexter are certainly doing their part in the middle of the defense.

The only critique for Chicago's defense is that their most dominant play has come in the second half of their two games, where they're allowing 1.5 points per game. If they can bring that level of play to the beginning of each contest, that could equate to even more wins this season. And can you imagine if the offense starts putting up points? The Bears could be a team that contends for the NFC North.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter off to impressive starts in 2024