Chicago Bears have the best red-zone defense in the NFL

The Chicago Bears defense has been one of the best in the NFL through the first eight weeks, but there's one area where they've shined brighter than other teams.

The Bears are allowing 319.0 total yards per game, which ranks 11th in the NFL. But while opposing teams might be able to move the ball on them, they're having a difficult time finding the end zone. Chicago has the best red zone defense in the league, allowing touchdowns just 36.8 percent of the time teams are inside the 20-yard line. This season, the Bears have allowed seven touchdowns on 19 red-zone possessions.

Defensive coordinator Eric Washington praised his group for their red zone production, where forcing field goals has helped keep them in, or even win, games.

"It's been consistent," Washington said. "The guys have done a tremendous job in that part of the field of understanding the urgency that you need and understanding that our goals are field goals and takeaways. We want to take the ball away or force field goals. Their urgency went up. We had to do things to defend the run. We had to do things in terms of affecting the quarterback. And everything was exactly what you wanted."

That red-zone production was on display in last Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders, where Chicago forced four field goals, including three inside the 10-yard line, to hold the league's top-scoring offense to just 12 points before the ill-fated Hail Mary as time expired.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears have the best red-zone defense in the NFL