Ben Johnson and the Bears had a problem exiting Week 7. The Bears have a top-ten offense but a mediocre defense anchored by high-variance pressure and turnovers. In a highly competitive division like the NFL North, Chicago needed to stabilize the defense.
Heading into the game against Seattle, the Bears ranked 18th in DVOA (FTN), with a Pass Blitz Rate of 41%, good enough for 8th in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen relied on pressure as his main way to challenge opponents.
Chicago’s defense stayed above board in 2025, thanks to a tremendous number of turnovers that don’t carry over year to year and can mask unit deficiencies. 2026 looked like that variance had swung back to the norm; then Jeffery Simmons arrived.
Simmons’ presence fundamentally changed the Bears defense, which had the fourth-worst EPA/Play against 12-personnel and was 24th against the run (.044), with a 51% Success Rate. Allen used his new iDL’s gravity to play coverage and counter Jaxon Smith-Njigba by playing 2-Man.
Allen’s game plan against Seattle was a complete 180-degree departure from the norm, especially against two TE sets. Until the Seahawks matchups, the Bears blitzed 12-personnel at 42.5%. Facing Sam Darnold and two TEs, the Bears didn’t blitz once. Overall, they posted the week’s lowest Blitz Rate, under 16%.
The pivot was also an understanding of how Seattle’s offense functions. 12-personnel accounts for ~28% of the Seahawks’ plays, but they are 28th in EPA/Play and 24th in EPA/Run. Allen bet his defense could withstand the run by inserting Simmons into the starting lineup, letting him maximize coverage, mainly using 2-man variations to counter JSN.
Dennis Allen has historically wanted to play man coverage. Over eight weeks, the Bears rank third in Cover 1 usage (30%) and pair it with heavy Cover 2 (22%). Playing JSN, who gets about 50% of Seattle's targets, wasn’t a great option.
But Allen had something up his sleeve he hadn’t used often before Simmons joined the lineup: 2-Man. The Bears didn’t just use the coverage against 11-personnel or on passing downs; they spammed it against 12-personnel.
How to Defend 12-Personnel with 2-Man Coverage
According to PFF, heading into Week 8, only eleven total snaps of 2-Man had been recorded on 1st or 2nd down against 12 personnel. Unless it was an obvious passing situation, defenses opted for Cover 3 or split-field coverage.
2-Man, overall, is a limited-use coverage in the NFL. Even its sister coverage in Bracket, it doesn’t see many snaps. Looking at five-year trends, 2026 looks to have the lowest usage in the last five years, with 2025’s number going below 300 snaps.
The results speak for themselves. Chicago finished with a -.553 EPA/Play and a staggering 16.7% Success Rate.
The Bears held Sam Darnold to 12 passing yards and two sacks on passes in 12-personnel (three total with 2-Man). Dennis Allen called the Seahawks’ bluff that they wouldn’t run the ball and used the coverage to limit explosive passing.
2-Man is more than just “man coverage with two deep Safeties.” If you are looking for a structural answer to various offensive packages, the film study below breaks down the exact 2-Man variations Allen used to kill Seattle’s 12-personnel play-calling, keeping JSN to one 10-yard reception.
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Glossary of Terms:
Fist: 2-Man with a Deep Half Safety
Pounder: Quarters tag in 2-Man, with the Safety playing on the hash or a poach technique
Ring (Zeus): Fist to the star receiver, Pounder away (Cover 6/8 mechanic)
Lord (Cover 8): 2-Man with Cover 8 rules. The “Fist” side is to the passing strength and the “Pounder” side is away. The zone call for this is “8.”
Coach’s Note: For the purpose of this article and consistency of language, I will be using Fangio’s 2-Man language.
