It feels so foreign to have the Chicago Bears be good. Or at least winning.
They were losing so often, for so long, I forgot what this is like.
Each week, it feels like another poor record from recent years
is getting broken.
For example, Ben Johnson has more road wins as the Bears’ head coach than Matt Eberflus did. He’s coached 16 fewer road games than his predecessor.
He’s also matched Eberflus’s best single-season win total.
I could go on. The point is, things are better right now.
Even if the wins are wild, come-from-behind, messy, near-miraculous finishes, let’s just ride ‘em as far as it’ll take us.
Stock up
Cole Kmet, TE – Kmet has had an interesting season. His production is way down, but he’s on the best team he’s ever had at the NFL level. He’s bought in, though, and has been blocking hard. But Sunday, he finally got to show up in the passing game. He caught five passes for 45 yards, leading the team.
Kevin Byard, S – When Byard signed with the Bears, there were pockets of fans that wondered if he was too old, too past his prime to make a difference. His first season in Chicago was really good though, with 130 tackles, two sacks and an interception. But I don’t know that it moved the needle for a lot of folks. But a year later and he leads the NFL in interceptions with five.
Jonah Jackson, G – This week we’ll highlight Jackson on the OL. He had the clip that went viral on social media this week. That’s enough for me. I love that each week there is a different clip of a Bears player absolutely demolishing a defender.
Stock down
Olamidae Zaccheus, WR – After his bout with drops against the Giants, OZ saw his snaps drop to just 10, while rookie Luther Burden’s snaps jumped to 33. A changing of the guard, perhaps.
Ben Johnson, coach – Before you rush to the comments to flame me, keep in mind I still love Johnson. But I want to point out that he didn’t have his best game calling plays. Bringing out Tyson Bagent for a trick play formation in a short-yardage situation wasn’t well-advised. There were some other questionable calls, too. It’s still more good than bad, but I found myself thinking he got too cute a few times on Sunday.
Bears pass rush – The Bears’ defensive line and pass rush in general have improved over the last month. But after recording zero sacks against J.J. McCarthy on Sunday, it brings it back to a bad spotlight. Failing to bring down a young QB is a shame. It’s lessened by the fact that the Bears won.
Who is on your stock up and down lists this week? Sound off in the comments.
