The Chicago Bears defense has picked up where it left off last season. Through four games, the Bears are near the top in most statistical categories and have kept the team in every game this year. The defense is littered with talent, but it all starts up front, where defensive end Montez Sweat is neutralizing offensive tackles. Sweat is off to a solid start, totaling five tackles, two sacks, eight pressures, and a forced fumble.

That fumble came during a critical point in the Bears' 24-18 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, where he bulldozed a tight end to get to quarterback Matthew Stafford for the turnover. In an exclusive interview with Bears Wire, Sweat detailed the play and how it impacted the team going forward.

"I kind of noticed the play-action type of deal most of the whole game. It was just run or play action. So I might have guessed right on that on that certain play," he said. "It just put the offense in a great position to get some points on the board. We were down 6 0 at the time. So we definitely needed to stop [Stafford]. And we needed some points. So just to be able to put the offense in a good position to do that. And after that, they pretty much got rolling."

Sacking Hunger with Campbell's® Chunky

The 28-year-old defensive end showed once again that he's pretty good at getting after the quarterback. It is in his job description after all, which makes him the perfect player to partner with Campbell's® on their Chunky Sacks Hunger initiative. "I just love what they're doing across the league," he said. "They're donating a thousand meals to feed America for every sack across the league. Obviously, I'm in the business of getting sacks. So I just thought it would be a great correlation to partner with them."

Through four weeks, there have been 328 sacks across the NFL, which has led to 328,000 meals donated. Sweat is one of nine players working closely on the initiative, which includes Dexter Lawrence, Will Anderson Jr., Sam Hubbard, Laiatu Latu, and more. Though he's familiar with Lawrence from his days in the NFC East and recently played Latu's Colts, Sweat isn't thinking about any friendly competition off the football field with these pass rushers. He does want to end the season with the most, though. "I plan to end out on top, so I can get as many meals donated as we can."

As part of the initiative, Sweat spent some time at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, where he hosted a food donation and helped pack meals. He's been a part of the community for almost a full year after he was acquired via trade from the Washington Commanders and knows how important it is to give back. "It means everything. Chicago is kind of like a second home to me now. I love to be in the community, so this is just a great, great opportunity to do that with them and also in other areas."

Gervon Dexter's growth

Being a Bear for almost a full calendar year means he's had time to build chemistry with his teammates. Seeing as the defense returned the vast majority of their starters from a year ago, Sweat has been able to watch certain players grow, but he had one guy in mind when asked who has stood out to him the most. "I guess one guy you could probably say is Gervon Dexter," Sweat said. "He's only in his second year, but I don't think he got as much playing time as he wanted last year. But this year he's getting those opportunities, and he's really capitalizing upon them." The development goes beyond the field, though, according to Sweat. "He's growing on the field and also just dialing in off the field as far as film study, taking care of his body, and all those types of things. It's really been a joy to watch from Gervon Dexter."

Dexter, like Sweat, also had a big day against the Rams. The second-year defensive tackle sacked Stafford while also adding two tackles, one for a loss, and two QB hits.

Looking ahead

Chicago has been able to get through the first month of the season with a 2-2 record, which is a big improvement over their start from 2023. There are some big games coming up, such as the trip to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as a homecoming for Sweat, where he'll face his former team for the first time since being traded. He's trying not to look ahead because the Carolina Panthers are coming to town this Sunday, but he admitted to having those games circled.

"The NFL is very week to week. Anything can happen on any given Sunday. So you try not to look forward to those to other games, but I'd definitely be lying if I said I wouldn't be thinking about the London game or the former team that I got drafted to where I was for five years. So yeah, those are definitely marked on my calendar. But at the same time, I'm still focused on the next game coming up. And that's the Carolina Panthers."

Sweat knows the Panthers well after he demolished their offensive line last year and could be in for another big game. If and when he gets his next sack, maybe he celebrates by eating some soup to promote the Chunky Sacks Hunger initiative? "Man, I haven't quite thought about that, but I guess you gave me an idea. I might have to pop open the can of soup and eat it. I think so." For the Bears' sake, hopefully Sweat can eat well on Sunday to help the team get a win.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears DE Montez Sweat talks Gervon Dexter, sacking hunger, and more