Some of the thinking of Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen came into focus following a disastrous play against the Seattle Seahawks.

To put it clearly, Allen is a "big-game hunter." This much was apparent from all of the blitzes he dialed up in various attempts to get pressure on quarterbacks in the pre-Jeffery Simmons days. This could be different going forward with Simmons available to apply pressure, but Allen did get caught in one gamble on Monday night in Seattle that he now regrets.

The gamble, of course, was when cornerback Tyrique Stevenson got left out by himself trying to cover one on one with NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the final minute of the first half. Stevenson committed to a Smith-Njigba slant, based on Seattle's formation. The hunch proved wrong and resulted in an easy touchdown to get the Seahawks back into a game the Bears eventually won, 34-17.

"Well look, hindsight's 20-20, right?" Allen said. "Like everybody can look at it and say hindsight is 20-20 and you wish you would have done something different and so you make the call, it doesn't work out and you think 'Aww man, maybe I should've done this.'

Double dip with Tennessee?

Alontae Taylor was a versatile playmaker during his time in New Orleans under Dennis Allen. He recorded 293 tackles, 52 pass breakups, 7 sacks, and 4 INTs.

While his coverage had inconsistencies, he excelled as a physical & aggressive defender.… pic.twitter.com/UV9js1iT1C

— Prince (@ChiSportsGuy8) November 4, 2026

"And yet there's been games where you make a call very similar and you run back there and hit the quarterback and everybody thinks it's a great call. And so we can't judge the play based on the outcome of the play. You know, we have to really look at the whole scenario. And so, yeah, certainly when it doesn't work out you kind of wish you had it back. And yet, look, we're going big-game hunting. You know what I mean?"

Over the course of a game, Allen says it's about getting far more wins than losses. Gambling to get the QB or turnovers is all a part of it.

Dennis Allen sending a blitz with 30 seconds left and leaving his corner 1 on 1 against the best receiver in all of football!

Just a dumb decision with total control of the situation. #Bears pic.twitter.com/c7QP1s7Sa7

— Tommy (@NFL_OGs) November 3, 2026

"Look, you can’t play this game ... you’re never stealing second with your foot sitting there on first base, right?" Allen said. "You have to be aggressive. You have to be confident. And you have to try to dictate the terms to the offense.

"I’ve been in games where you’re kinda sitting back and trying to play defensive mode, and that just doesn’t really suit me, nor do I think it suits us. So we’re gonna try to do whatever it is that we think gives us the best chance for success."

Has Allen always been big-game hunting?

Having Simmons probably doesn't mean exclusively going four-man rush all year. Blitzing would depend on the opponent. On Monday, they blitzed only 15% of downs. They had come in blitzing a third of the time, according to Pro Football Reference.

Allen's history has not always been that of a blitzing defensive coordinator. They blitzed more or less depending on personnel. In his last three full seasons they blitzed at a 22% rate or less. They were over 30% most of the season prior to that.

Tyrique Stevenson allowed a 126 passer rating when targeted and 82 yards and 2 TDs. Not good.

But I honestly can’t blame him on this one. Massive push off by Cooper Kupp. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/4PFpZAUnTy

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) November 3, 2026

They can do what they want now up front with Simmons available.

"Like thank you he's on our team," safety Cam Lewis said. "Like I said, just makes our job on the back end easier, like we're covering from 2 1/2, three seconds and sack, or affecting the quarterback. You know what I'm saying? So it's good so far. So I'm just thankful he's here."

If Allen wants to go big-game hunting, though, it might be better to make sure he's doing it with someone else responsible for covering a receiver like Smith-Njigba.

Jeffery Simmons changes the whole equation for Dennis Allen and the Bears' defensive game plan, @olin_kreutz told @HaughPayton.

The Bears already had solid players on their defensive line, but Simmons is the only one who keeps opponents up at night. pic.twitter.com/jNxRLEE0vA

— 104.3 The Score (@thescorechicago) November 3, 2026

What was largely hidden in Monday's win was how well they shut down Smith Njigba in the second half. Although he had six catches for 118 yards and the 43-yarder against Stevenson, he had only two catches in five targets for 26 yards in the second half.

"Look, we devoted a few more resources to him and tried to take him away," Allen said.

Going for big game doesn't necessarily have to mean sacking the quarterback. Apparently it can be shutting down one of the league's top receivers.

Monday Night Football’s Week 8 game between the Chicago #Bears and Seattle Seahawks drew 16.4M viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and NFL+.

The audience ranks as Monday Night Football’s most-watched ESPN-only game since November 2019, a span of 76 games airing on ESPN.

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) November 4, 2026