Getting to 2-2 after a 0-2 start feels momentous on its own. Consider how bad it looked after the first two games, and it is momentous.
And then consider just how awful the game appeared to be going for
Chicago for the first half (and honestly, much of the second half, too) on Sunday, and it feels miraculous they made it to .50o at their bye week.
There were always sure to be growing pains as Ben Johnson came in and established his culture and system.
As soon as the Chicago Bears blocked the Las Vegas Raiders’ kick attempt, the phrase “culture win” came to mind.
I was hesitant to say it, though, because it felt so cliché. However, the players and Johnson later confirmed this in the locker room.
And it’s true.
The Bears have often rolled over and lost these games, or, even worse, get back in them and see them slip away anyway.
It’s why Sunday felt so different. Why it feels like there is a shift coming. Wins like this inspire buy-in. The messages the coaches are preaching, why they’re preaching those things, come together when the players are in a game and respond to the adversity.
They won not just on execution but also because their coach was calm and instilled the belief that they would overcome it.
Let’s get to this week’s stock up and down.
Stock up
Kevin Byard, S – Byard may be an elder statesman of the defense, but like he said on X, the everything app, after the game, he’s still got it. His two picks were key in setting the tone, even if the offense couldn’t capitalize and his TFL came on the late-game third down, setting up the Raiders’ ill-fated field goal attempt.
Tyrique Stevenson, CB – Stevenson continues his ascent from forgotten to key player. He’s turned around his season (and career) in the same two-week stretch as the Bears. He finished with an interception, fumble recovery and two pass breakups ups.
Josh Blackwell, DB – More like BLOCKwell, am I right? Blackwell was undrafted out of Duke and was a post-training camp cut of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. The Bears picked him up off waivers and he’s worked into being a core special teamer. Blackwell picks up the proud tradition of ST aces of yore like Sherrick McManis, Zachary Bowman and DeAndre Houston-Carson. His dedication to film study and picking up what teammate long snapper Scott Daly told him made the difference.
Stock down
Tremaine Edmunds, LB – Just one week after he was in the stock up category and having a two-interception game, he’s back on the down list? What gives? PFF graded him out at 49.6 for the game. Despite leading the Bears in tackles, he had no splash plays.
Montez Sweat, DE – No sacks again and no TFLs or QB hits. Montez, what would you say you do here? It’s not like he’s commanding all this attention either. He’s just not a true ace pass rusher.
Cole Kmet, TE – The offense as a whole didn’t have a good game. But with just three catches on nine targets, I’m putting Kmet down this week. He had two passes hit him in the hands and fall to the ground. One of them was more difficult than the other, but when they’re hitting you in the hands, you gotta come up with the catch.
Who is on your up or down list this week?
