Despite the loss, rookie Bilal Nichols shined bright from start to finish
While Monday will be spent criticizing Ryan Pace he did find a nice gem in the fifth round this year with Bilal Nichols. Nichols had been ahead of schedule from training camp into the preseason.
That lead to brief moments of playing time during the first six weeks and a breakout in week seven.
Bilal Nichols was on the field during the first drive of the game and made an impact. From there, his breakout was on. He put up four tackles and was in on the Sony Michel fumble that started to swing the game in the Bears direction.
He was pushing pockets, forcing bad passes and making an impact in the running game. The Patriots were giving him one-on-one match ups and he was eating off of it.
This a great development for the Chicago Bears, who now have a lot of depth on their defensive line.
Yes, Eddie Goldman and Akiem Hicks are going to be the staples and see most of the snaps. However, it is fair to consider Nichols as the third defensive line when the team starts out in base.
The Chicago Bears are going to shuffle in Roy Robertson-Harris and Jonathan Bullard, but to have them as such complimentary pieces only speaks to the quality of depth that this line can provide.
Yes, the Chicago Bears lost and the defense overall was disappointing. However, if you were expecting Super Bowls in year one, you may have been a bit optimistic. The Chicago Bears are growing, and no one is growing faster than Bilal Nichols at this point. It will be fun to watch him rise.