I think the biggest difference in the defense is Cam Wake. The dude beat his guy almost every play last season. This season he rarely gets by his man. He is much slower off the ball this season than last and I wonder if he was coached to slow down his rush. I am thinking he may have been coached to slow down and stay under control so he could play against the run. If that is true then the coaches made a huge mistake. I would much rather have him get beat on a few traps and things then never get any pressure on the QB. This guy went from probably the best pass rusher I have ever seen to an afterthought. That doesn't happen unless he is playing injured or has been told to change his game.
Considering they have him rushing from the strong side this could be some of the case. Though he was mostly a SOLB last season, he came in expected to be on the weak side and his game was that. He is much much better against the run this season, but hes not rushing the passer with any leverage. Moving him to strong was a mistake IMO. I still dont get it.