Which Chicago Bears players were winners in Week 14 vs. the Packers

Chicago Bears Week 14 Winner No. 2: Special Teams (Jakeem Grant)

The Chicago Bears opted not to bring back Cordarrelle Patterson after two successful years in Chicago which has taken a huge hit on the special teams. They also lost Sherrick McManis to free agency who was a long-time great special teamer. The special teams unit as a whole this year has not been the same and was lacking that juice that they had seen over the last couple of years.

Khalil Herbert was drafted partly for his return abilities, but he had not shown much over the start of the year. Nsiba Webster was brought in for return duties but quickly lost the role because of injuries. The team then traded for Jakeem Grant from the Dolphins for a seventh-round pick. He has been up and down so far, but he is an electric player who can fly at any given time.

While Grant had not housed any returns so far, he broke out against Green Bay with a huge punt return for a touchdown as well as a jet flip which he took to the endzone. While he is just one part of special teams, he deserves a lot of credit for sparking that unit that had been underperforming today.

On the return the blocking was great, and people were getting downfield quickly as they saw Grant turn the corner. These types of plays take effort and discipline, and the Bears have been lacking that this year. Special teams had yet to be on the winners’ list this season until today. This goes to show how having an electric return man, like Jakeem Grant, can energize the special teams to make plays that affect the momentum of the game.

There were some nice kick returns by Khalil Herbert in this game as well which again shows the effort guys were giving early in this game. We need to see this type of special teams play all year because the Bears need every break they can get. Not every kick will be returned for a touchdown, but a good effort on every play will result in positive yards and potentially a score once in a while.

Special teams had a big effect on yesterday’s game and was one of the reasons why the Bears were competing early in the game. They outplayed the Packers unit throughout the game and helped the Bears with momentum in the first half. Credit to that unit for showing out on Sunday night.