A close loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 was something Chicago Bears fans could stomach; they were supposed to lose that game. A close loss to the Detroit Lions? Break out the TUMS.
There are a lot of negatives to take from this Week 10 game, but the good news is that those negatives are mostly temporary and fixable. By contrast, the silver linings we are seeing are reasons for long-term optimism for this team.
Young players are balling out and reflecting a ton of credit on general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. Let's get into those silver linings by awarding some game balls.
Justin Fields
Stop me if you've heard this: Justin Fields broke franchise and NFL records in a dazzling, superstar performance. His 67-yard touchdown run is a record for Bears quarterbacks, shattering the previous record of 61 yards set back in Week 9 of the 2022 season by... Justin Fields. He also became the only player in NFL history to throw for two touchdowns, rush for two more, and pick up over 100 yards on the ground. Fields rushed for more yards than any other quarterback in NFL history over a two-game span and a six-game span and is on pace to break Lamar Jackson's record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season.
I could wax poetic on Justin Fields' performance, but I'll summarize it with one simple sentence: the Chicago Bears have a superstar quarterback.
Jack Sanborn
Welcome to the NFL, Mr. Sanborn! The undrafted free agent linebacker from Wisconsin has been starting in place of Roquan Smith, who was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. But looking at the numbers, you'd never guess that Smith left.
Sanborn racked up twelve tackles in Week 10, two tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception (a terrible phantom penalty called back the interception, but I'm still going to count it). It's an extremely small sample size, but if Sanborn keeps this up, the mock draft crowd will need to stop mocking a top linebacker to the Bears and look to another position group.
Cole Kmet
Speaking of position groups no longer considered weak in Chicago, how about tight end Cole Kmet? After eighteen months without a touchdown, he has five in three games and is tied for the second most touchdowns for all tight ends.
Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy seems to have unlocked the 6-foot-7 Notre Dame product and rapidly transformed him into a Top 5 tight end. Justin Fields is thrilled by this because it gives him that 'security blanket' target that young quarterbacks love to have in the red zone, a guy you can throw a jump ball to (as Fields did yesterday) and expect the big man to come down with it.