Every week, I’m going to look at how the Chicago Bears performed in their previous game and search for three good areas and two that need improving. And then, just to finish the countdown, I want to look at something else that happened in the NFL this weekend.
Let’s begin.
The Good
Special Teams
After struggling to find a kicker for years after losing Robbie Gould, Cairo Santos has been incredibly solid for the Bears. After missing Week 4 due to personal issues, Santos scored 10 points against the Vikings, going 3/3 on Field Goals, including a long of 51 yards.
While Santos was making his 50-yard field goals, the rest of the special teams unit was also putting up numbers. After missing his first three games and losing a fumble last week, Velus Jones Jr. made some nice kick returns against the Vikings and was the fastest ball carrier for the Bears on Sunday at 19.8 mph.
Rookie punter Trenton Gill was also impressive in Week 5, punting twice for a whopping 112 yards, including a long of 60 yards. His season average of 49.2 yards is seventh among punters in the NFL. Other special teams highlights include a blocked kick by Dominique Robinson.
Cornerbacks (in the second half)
I want to preface this section by saying the cornerbacks in the first half stunk. Kirk Cousins was able to march down the field, and Justin Jefferson had his way with the defensive backs. Part of that is poor playing, but I also think some is due to poor scheming. There were a dozen plays in the first half where players were in soft coverage, standing four to five yards behind the line, which allowed dynamic players like Jefferson and Adam Thielen to take a quick pass and go to work.
The second half is a whole different story, however. We saw Kindle Vildor, who has been iffy through his first couple of years in the NFL, make his first career interception against the Vikings. Vildor also made a clutch goal-line tackle at the end of the game, even if the Vikings scored on the next play. Starting corners Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Jones combine for 23 tackles. Jones, however, was bullied by Cousins the entire game, and hopefully, this unit will improve even more when their starting cornerback, Jaylon Johnson, returns.
Justin Fields
In what was easily his best game of the season, fans saw something in Fields that they had yet to see in 2022: comfort.
Fields looked calm. He looked decisive. The game was slowing down for him. Fields began to take what was given to him instead of waiting for a man to open up. He went 15-of-21 for 208 yards and a touchdown, picking up an additional 47 yards on the ground, not to mention an insane 52-yard touchdown run that was called back by a penalty.
If Fields continues to look comfortable during plays, not forcing throws but working with what the defense is giving him, he can make this team very fun to watch.
The Bad
Wide Receivers
We have now seen Velus Jones Jr do what he was drafted to do, so I think it’s time for him to get some serious reps with the first team offense. Aside from Darnell Mooney, no wide receiver has shown they deserve the opportunities they're getting.
Dante Pettis was targeted twice but dropped both passes. He continues to get playing time because of his elite separation and route running, but those things don’t matter if you can’t catch well-placed throws.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette caught one of his two passes, but instead of going out of bounds with 70 seconds left, he fumbled the game away. He also had an illegal block penalty earlier in the fourth quarter that nullified Justin Fields' would-be 52-yard touchdown run.
The Bears knew coming into the season that the wide receiver room would be lacking. Still, as Fields continues to improve, this inability to deliver might become a more glaring issue for the receiving corps.
Offensive Line
Another week, another bad performance by the offensive line. While Justin Fields was only sacked twice in this game, this was due more to Fields' elusiveness and being able to extend plays than the offensive line providing decent protection.
The Vikings’ pass rush was all over Fields, with every starting member of the defensive line getting closer to the quarterback faster than the league average. The left side and center of this offensive line continue to be terrible and a constraint in allowing Fields to develop. Sam Mustipher is the worst member of this line, and, amazingly, he continues to get starting reps when other options could be considered.
The Other
The Brian Robinson Story
Every year there is a player that is a front-runner for the Comeback Player of the Year award. The last two years were obvious choices, with Alex Smith winning in 2020 after being told that he might never walk again, much less play football, then Joe Burrow winning in 2021 after leading his team to the Super Bowl in his second year.
This year, I think the early favorite to win the CPOTY award is someone who isn’t even eligible to win it: Brian Robinson.
I live in Maryland, very close to Washington, DC, so the Brian Robinson story has been at the forefront of local sports news. For anyone who hasn’t heard, I’ll sum it up: the rookie from Alabama was drafted in the third round by the Washington Commanders, ideally to be their primary running back.
On August 28th, he was shot twice in the right leg after fighting back during an attempted robbery. Luckily, he didn’t suffer any structural knee damage, which allowed him to heal more quickly, and just six weeks after the attack, he was back on the field, getting a team-high nine carries against the Titans.
While the Associate Press has already ruled out his candidacy for CPOTY, his teammates and coaching staff believe he should be the front-runner for this award.