After two games in five days, the Chicago Bears now have two games in the month.
Schedule quirks like that are weird, but this one benefits a Bears team that could stand to get some rest.
Right now, the Bears get 11 days between their Thursday night game and their next match, a Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s a tough game against the defending Super Bowl champions.
This Bears team appears to be built to take these sorts of games. At the conclusion of the game against the Patriots,
it really started to sink in. This isn’t a dream; it’s not an anomaly. The Chicago Bears are a good football team, led by a good coach, with a really good quarterback.
Ben Johnson has built a mentally tough team. How many Bears teams in the past would we see melt, or at least let a mistake like the 14-second touchdown drive the Patriots had before halftime, linger?
Not this team though. They got the ball coming out of halftime, went down the field, scored a touchdown and never looked back. When they missed a field goal and it felt like the game was beginning to teeter, they got the ball back and went on another long drive.
Then they let the kicker get a shot at redemption from further out, at a distance he’d never before made in a game.
Mentally tough. Lifting each other. Staying cool under pressure.
It is so much fun to watch.
Stock up
Rome Odunze, WR – There has been well-deserved criticism of Rome’s play. And questions about his future. The word bust has been floating around. And I’m not saying it was all absolved on Thursday. But it went a long way. After another bad drop in the endzone, with an offensive pass interference penalty tacked on, too, it looked like another disappointing night for the former first-round pick. However, he came alive late the game and made a big third-down catch after a big third-down catch. He finished with four catches for 69 yards. In the last two games, he has 7 catches for 118 yards.
Luther Burden III, WR – Burden recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of the season. He caught four passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. He had yards after the catch, he made guys miss and he got open. Burden is truly becoming the star many thought he would be based on his offseason.
D’Marco Jackson, LB – Six tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. Jackson was everywhere for the defense and made plays all over the field. He’s a bit of an unsung hero for the defense and his play has picked up a lot in the last couple of weeks.
Stock down
Devin Bush, LB – Bush hasn’t really been that impressive to me. He has played fine, but I haven’t noticed his speed quite as much as I had hoped. He got beat in coverage early against the Patriots and finished with just four tackles.
Jaylon Johnson, CB – I don’t know if he can go lower at this point, but it is a crime he’s still getting trotted out there week after week. I get that the defensive backfield has limited options, but man he looks bad every single week.
Cameron Lewis, S – Cam Lewis has unfortunately not made a difference for the secondary. This season, he’s been targeted 12 times, allowing 11 completions for 139 yards and two touchdowns for a 154.5 rating when targeted. Against the Patriots, he was targeted three times; all three were completed for 74 yards and a touchdown.
