These 3 Bears earned a game ball in Week 14’s win over Lions

For the first time since Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season, the Chicago Bears have won two games in a row. And, after losing twelve divisional matchups in a row, the Bears have now won back-to-back games against NFC North opponents.

This win was the complete team win the Bears haven’t seen since Week 5. The offense came out firing, then struggled, but some halftime adjustments powered the Bears to a 28-point performance. The defense was smothering and held the Lions to precisely zero second-half points. Special teams did their job and did not give up any big plays.

The strange spot the Bears now find themselves in is three guys who were deemed lame ducks just a week or two ago … head coach Matt Eberflus, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and quarterback Justin Fields … may be saving their jobs.

Eberflus’ defense has done a complete turnaround and now looks like one of the best all-around defenses in the NFL. Getsy’s playcalling had guys running wide open (for the most part) against the Lions, and Fields showed off just how dangerous he can be if you can live with a few bad sacks.

But all that big-picture stuff is for another day. Let’s celebrate this victory (you can see the highlights here) and hand out some game balls.

Here are three Chicago Bears players who deserve a little extra recognition.

Justin Fields

Justin Fields was good today. Not great, but good. He left some plays on the field, took some sacks he absolutely could not afford to take and completed just 57% of his passes. He and Mooney also appeared out of sync again, something that’s been an unfortunate theme this year.

But he threw for 223 yards and added another 58 on the ground, a totaled two touchdowns. Most importantly, Fields had zero turnovers. He also had this dime of a touchdown throw to DJ Moore on a free play after getting the Lions’ defensive line to jump offsides on a hard count.

Overall, it was an encouraging day for Fields and those who want to see him back in 2024. He deserves this win and this game ball that comes with it.

Jaylon Johnson

Three words: pay the man.

Coming into the 2023 season (on an expiring contract), Jaylon Johnson had just one career interception. He needed more ball production in 2023 to secure a massive payday, and after Sunday’s win over Detroit, Jaylon Johnson now has four interceptions on the season.

Early in the second quarter, he baited Jared Goff into thinking he had Sam LaPorta open in the red zone. Johnson crept back up and snatched the ball out of midair.

I always said that Johnson was a lockdown corner, and the lack of ball production was the only thing keeping him out of the Top 5 cornerbacks conversation. Well, he’s now tied for the fourth most interceptions in the league. There’s really no argument left for why he shouldn’t be paid top dollar.

It’s a good thing the Bears still have so much cap space left, or Ryan Poles might be wishing he had extended Johnson earlier.

Montez Sweat

It’s hard to comprehend the kind of change that one man can bring to an entire team. Since trading for Sweat at the 2023 trade deadline, the Chicago Bears’ defense has completely turned a corner. They’re pressuring the quarterback, racking up sacks, taking the ball away, and stuffing the run. In back-to-back games, the Bears have held their opponent to 13 points or less, and Sweat has been the difference maker.

With his sack today, Sweat has at least one sack in three straight games and now has nine on the season. One more will mark a career-high for him. He was in constant pursuit of Jared Goff, bringing the pressure, forcing early throws, and knocking him to the ground a split-second after the ball was thrown a few times.

Honorable Mentions: Gervon Dexter, who registered his first career sack (even if it only counted as half a sack on ESPN), Tremaine Edmunds, who hauled in another interception, and the coaching staff, who overall called a solid game. They get blasted when they fail (deservedly so), so when they succeed, it’s only fair we recognize that.