My brain hasn’t fully adjusted to this new Chicago Bears era.
There was a point in the second half of the game where I said to myself, “the Bears aren’t going to win this game.” And I believed it.
Then they
forced a fumble and recovered it. They drove down for a touchdown. They got the ball back.
And by that point, I felt all right.
I’ve seen enough of Caleb Williams now to feel good when the Bears have the ball in a late-game situation down one score.
Will it always work out that way? Of course not. That’s football. And really, I keep thinking, “How can they keep getting away with this?” Because these cardiac finishes every week have been unreal.
I don’t think a nice, comfortable 10-point win would be bad for my stress levels right now.
Stock up
Caleb Williams, QB – Iceman, Mr. Fourth Quarter, whatever you want to call him, this is what made him the first overall pick. We’ve been wanting progression, ascention, better play, etc. We’re seeing it bit by bit. It’s still not 60 clean minutes, but Caleb is at his best when the game is on the line and team needs him to be. We love to see it.
Luther Burden III, WR – The rookie saw an uptick in his snap count, up to 49 percent against the New York Giants. As other players seem to fade, Burden just makes play after play. Williams has a 136.4 passer rating when targeting Burden. He deserves more snaps.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DB – CJGJ has been in Chicago for roughly two weeks after being at home. But he already has three sacks. He had two on Sunday, to go with two TFLs and two QB hits. And he forced the fumble that helped the entire Bears’ comeback. He led the Bears in tackles with nine. He’s been a great in-season addition.
Stock down
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR – Four targets, one catch and two drops. All that training camp hype we heard about how OZ was catching everything and his chemistry with Williams. But in the regular season, it just hasn’t worked.
Grady Jarrett, DT – Jarrett played the third-most snaps of any defensive lineman and recorded four tackles. That’s it. He’s been working his way back from injury, but overall has had very little impact on the field this season.
Nahshon Wright, DB – Wright has been better than we expected this year. As a reserve player, who was thrust into a starting role, he’s been servicable. But he has glaring shortcomings. He managed to recover the fumble. But too often it seems like he’s in a good position to make a play on the ball, and it ends up falling incomplete.
Who is on your up and down lists this week? Did I get it right?
