3 unheralded Chicago Bears who stepped up to beat Raiders

1. Angelo Blackson

In the past two seasons, the Bears defense has been a completely different unit with and without Akiem Hicks. When Hicks is in, they shut down the run, but the second he left things would lose control. Hicks has been injured often recently, and it has put the Bears in a tough spot. That was why they signed Angelo Blackson, a move that looked like unnecessary depth at the time, but has already shown its value.

Blackson was joined by Eddie Goldman and Mario Edwards as the crew who stepped up for Hicks. Still, it was Blackson leading the way in snaps, and most situations saw Edwards and Goldman in their roles, but Blackson stepping into the Hicks role.

The signing proved valuable. They knew they needed the depth upfront, and the run defense was elite today, something you could not say last year without Hicks. Blackson was not a splash signing but surely was needed to win this game.