Chicago Bears Preseason Game #2: Stock Watch Defense

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears are now 2-0 this preseason after beating the Colts 23-11 on Saturday night. The first team defense was facing a much tougher test this week in the Colts and their All-Pro QB Andrew Luck, but actually played much better than they did last week vs the Dolphins. They did allow one 89-yard TD drive, but over half of the yards were given up on one deep pass and a penalty after the whistle. On Luck’s other two drives, the Bears forced punts and only gave up 14 yards total.

The Bears 2nd & 3rd team defensive units shut out the opposing team in the 2nd half for the 2nd game in a row. The Bears backups are clearly outplaying the opponents backups which should bode well for the Bears depth this season. The reserves units also forced two turnovers, giving them five on the season.

There were some players that really helped their chances of making the Bears final 53-man roster this week and a few others who hurt their odds. I will be breaking them down below:

Stock Up

OLB Pernell McPhee – After being a non-factor in game 1, McPhee was all over the field against the Colts. He had a sack of Andrew Luck on 2nd down of the Colts first drive and then pressured him into a bad throw on the next play. McPhee also made a couple nice stops on running plays. He looked like the play-maker the Bears thought they were getting when they signed McPhee to a big contract this offseason.

DE Jarvis Jenkins – Another guy who didn’t make an impact in game 1, but showed up on Saturday. Jenkins got a big hit on Luck, made a nice stop at the line of scrimmage on a run play, and put some pressure on Luck. Not a bad nights work in just 13 snaps.

ILB Shea McClellin – The much maligned former 1st round pick is playing his 3rd position in 4 seasons, but seems to have found a home at ILB. McClellin was a reliable force inside vs the run on Saturday, shedding blocks and making stops before Colts RBs could get more than a few yards. He didn’t make any flash plays, but was consistently in the right place and didn’t make any glaring mistakes, which for McClellin is a huge improvement. McClellin has a good shot to earn one of the starting ILB gigs, but free agent Mason Foster is making a strong push for the job.