Well, that game was weird as hell.
Despite playing without Mitch Trubisky, Kyle Long, Taylor Gabriel, Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols and Roquan Smith, the Bears were able to pick up a much-needed (the Lions are good?!) divisional win. Here’s whose arrows are up and down after the 16-6 victory:
ARROW UP – Chase Daniel
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THAT is why you pay Chase Daniel $4 million a year. After Trubisky left the game with a shoulder injury on the first drive of the afternoon, Daniel came in and seamlessly operated the Bears’ offense. He moved the ball with (relative) ease, orchestrating two separate drives of at least 14 plays. He looked comfortable in the offense, finishing with with 195 yards while completing 22 of 30 passes. More importantly, Daniel was able to keep the Bears’ offense on the field – allowing Khalil Mack and Co. to stay fresh while preventing Minnesota’s offense from getting into any type of rhythm. It’s obviously not good for the Bears if Mitch Trubisky is out for a while, but Daniel’s performance on Sunday helped ease some of the immediate concern.
ARROW DOWN – Mitch Trubisky
This sort of feels like kicking someone while he’s down; it’s just been a disastrous season for Trubisky so far. The injury he sustained to his left shoulder is the Concern No. 1 for the Bears going forward, especially if it keeps him out for multiple weeks. Last season, Trubisky was playing well until he hurt his shoulder against, coincidentally enough, the Vikings – and even after he returned a few weeks later, his production never quite caught up. How hurt is Trubisky? How much will not getting those much-needed reps affect his progression? If he’s out for a good chunk of time, where does Ryan Pace go from here? The Bears have some decision-making to do.
ARROW UP – Allen Robinson
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The offense has been an eyesore all year, but it’s been fun watching Allen Robinson become the No. 1 receiver that the Bears’ hoped he be when they signed him before the 2018 season. Robinson’s six catches in the first half was tied for a career-best, and he finished the night with seven catches for 77 yards. His reliability becomes all the more crucial to a successful Bears season if the team has to go with a different quarterback for the foreseeable future.
ARROW DOWN – The running game
It’s still just … not there. David Montgomery had a the best game on the ground of the bunch, finishing with 53 yards on 21 rushes. Tarik Cohen only finished with 11 yards on five carries. Through the first three quarters, the Bears didn’t have a rush longer than seven yards. So far this season, they’ve been able to tread water without much of a running attack, so maybe the panic is overstated. Still – for as often as Matt Nagy stresses the importance of improving the ground game, it hasn’t happened yet.
ARROW UP – The Defense
It’s legitimately absurd how good the defense is. It’s legitimately absurd how good Khalil Mack is. The Bears didn’t have their best defensive lineman or their best inside linebacker and STILL only allowed one score. They got to Kirk Cousins with ease all afternoon, sacking him six times and forcing multiple turnovers. They held NFL’s leading rusher, Dalvin Cook, to 35 yards on 14 carries. Nick Williams is out here making plays every week and Roy Robertson-Harris was in Cousins’ face all afternoon. Nick Kwiatkoski was good! Right now, it’s hard to argue that anyone in the NFL has a better defense than the Bears.