Chicago Bears: Week 16 offensive and defensive MVPs

The Chicago Bears came into Week 16 with as little to play for as any team in football. After being eliminated from the playoff picture last week and starting third-string quarterback Nick Foles, there was very little riding on the game. However, in true Nick Foles fashion, the Bears came up with a highly improbable, last-second win over Russell Wilson and company to win only their second game in their last ten tries.

Chicago Bears Offensive MVP: Nick Foles

It wasn’t pretty, but Foles came through when the team needed him the most and put up a respectable stat line of 24 completions on 35 attempts for 250 yards and a touchdown. Foles led the Bears on a last-minute touchdown drive, capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham and a two-point conversion to Damiere Byrd in the back of the end zone.

Foles’ primary target was David Montgomery, who finished the game with 106 yards from scrimmage and reminded fans how valuable he could be in the passing game when used correctly. Darnell Mooney also added five catches for 57 yards.

One area where the unit struggled was the offensive line. Foles was sacked four times and had to break the pocket on numerous occasions. It wasn’t a great performance, but the Bears didn’t need to be great to beat the Seahawks.

[Editor’s note: my choice would have been David Montgomery and not Nick Foles]

Chicago Bears Defensive MVP: Roquan Smith 

After just missing the Pro Bowl for a second straight year, Roquan Smith had one of his best games of the season, leading the team in total tackles, solo tackles, and tackles for loss, as well as registering a QB hit. The duo of Smith and Robert Quinn continues to lead the undermanned Chicago defense.

Rookie, Thomas Graham Jr. had some ups and downs against DK Metcalf, but considering how Kindle Vildor has looked at CB2 this season, it’s hard to be too critical. The Bears should still be very excited about the prospect of a talented, young corner to potentially play opposite Jaylon Johnson.

The defense has continued to struggle with generating turnovers, and although it didn’t come back to bite them yesterday, it has been a consistent problem since 2018. It’s hard to know exactly if it is primarily due to talent or scheme, or both. The bottom line is that the defense needs to capitalize on their opportunities for the team to make a jump next season.