These 3 Bears deserve game balls despite Week 13 loss to Green Bay

On Sunday, the same tale that Chicago Bears fans have seen for the last four years repeated: the Green Bay Packers won and extended their all-time lead in the Bears-Packers rivalry. Unfortunately, it will probably take quite a while for the Bears to recover the series lead they held for over 80 years.

But there’s good reason to believe that the tides in this rivalry are changing and that the Bears will soon return to their winning ways. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers played a fine game Sunday but looked nothing like the Bear-killer of old, and his supporting cast once again proved to be mediocre at best.

Yes, it was a disappointing loss in Week 13, but three Bears players deserve a game ball after the 28-19 defeat.

Justin Fields

If Justin Fields plays, he ends up on this list. He’s just that good. On Sunday, we saw another 55-yard touchdown run from the quarterback, making him the first QB in NFL history to have three rushing touchdowns of 50+ yards in a career.

Did I mention Fields is just 23 years old?

He also connected with wide receivers Equanimeous St. Brown and N’Keal Harry for completions of 56 and 49 yards, respectively, and at one point had eleven straight completed passes. He finished the day 20/25 for 254 yards, plus 71 yards rushing and a touchdown.

The only black mark on what is arguably Fields’ best day as a pro came in the form of two late interceptions. The first was an anticipatory throw to Equanimeous St. Brown in which the receiver bungled his route, and the second was a desperation throw with 44 seconds left while the Bears were down by two scores.

Cole Kmet

After an abysmal start to this season, Cole Kmet had another solid game, hauling in six of his seven targets for 72 yards. A solid blocker who’s finally putting up some nice receiving numbers and an impressive highlight reel, Kmet is proving to be a viable long-term building block for this offense. Hopefully, general manager Ryan Poles signs him to an extension soon because the young Illinois native’s ceiling continues to edge higher and higher.

Jack Sanborn

The undrafted rookie linebacker continues his high level of play, recording eleven tackles on Sunday, nine of which were solo. He’s no star yet, but Sanborn is quickly making a case to be considered a long-term starter on this defense, one of the few who can make that claim.

Jack Sanborn has been arguably the most surprising bright spot on this team, stepping into the gigantic shoes left behind by former Bears linebacker Roquan Smith and filling them. If Sanborn had been a Top-50 pick, there’d likely be talks of him being the Defensive Rookie of the Year, but alas, his undrafted status leaves him relegated to ‘Cinderella story’ status.

Honorable Mentions: first half Equanimeous St. Brown for his 56-yard catch, N“Keal ‘Why Isn’t He Starting At This Point” Harry for his sensational 49-yard grab late in the game, and David Montgomery running for 61 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.