Week 5 Game Ball: The Chicago Bears Defense

Oct 5, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) at the line of scrimmage in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Giving the game ball away is getting harder each week, as the Bears continue to beat themselves. Bear Nation was sure week 5 would be a bounce back performance and the Bears would finally start and finish strong. The hope was that after the beating they took at home against the Packers they would take a good look in the mirror and make the adjustments needed on all sides of the ball. However, fans were left disappointed for the second consecutive week. The game was filled with mental errors, a rare missed kick by Robbie Gould, accompanied by two Jay Cutler interceptions and an uncharacteristic fumble by Matt Forte. These mistakes gave the Panthers a needed win and the Bears their first road loss of the season.

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So with that said, who should win the game ball? There was no individual player that stood out, but the Chicago Bears defense as a whole was solid for most of the game. For this reason, the defense is getting their second game ball of the season. Although, they gave up 31 points they still forced 3 turnovers and kept the Bears in it for most of the game.

Isaiah Fry forced a fumble, Willie Young made his presence felt with a forced fumble as well and Lance Briggs got his first turnover of the season off a Cam Newton interception. Also, first year corner Kyle Fuller, who took over for the injured Charles Tillman and has done exceptionally well. He played well in rookie on rookie action, going up against Panthers wide receiver Kevin Benjamin. The defense has struggled with injuries up front; their star player Jared Allen returning after missing week 4 due to pneumonia and constant rotation in the secondary, but they still gave the team a chance to win.

It has not been the Bears defense we are used to seeing but they did enough. However, the mistakes on offense blew the chance for a win. The performance was not a great one but with all things considered they played better than expected.

Bear Down!