Which Chicago Bears were winners vs. Giants?

Chicago Bears Week 17 Winner No. 3: Trevis Gipson

It has been somewhat of a breakout year for the second-year pass rusher. Trevis Gipson has shown that he could be a future star on this defense with his mixture of speed and finesse. He still has a lot of work to do, including filling out his frame a bit, but fans and coaches seem to like what Gipson has done this year in place of Khalil Mack after his injury.

Against the Giants, Gipson came out of the gates hot with a strip sack on the very first play of the game. The ball was recovered by Bilal Nichols and almost returned for a house call. This play was a perfect example of what Gipson has provided this year for the Bears. His energy is super high and his motor is what has kept him on the field this year. He lacks the size of many elite pass rushers, but he makes up for that with a good technique and always giving max effort.

He has also been able to show his athleticism in the run game as well since he is technically playing the outside linebacker position. He and Robert Quinn have been asked to go outside the duties of a normal pass rusher this year. In the 3-4 defense the Bears play, when the Bears have three defensive linemen in the game it usually means either Quinn or Gipson are playing some sort of coverage. Both have done well when asked to take on separate duties.

The emergence of Trevis Gipson gives the Bears an interesting dilemma going forward. Obviously, they can look to trade either Mack or Quinn for draft capital, but that would significantly hurt the defense as both of those are elite players right now. That would give Gipson the playing time to develop and maybe become a top pass rusher opposite either Mack or Quinn. It will be interesting to see what happens going forward.

Trevis Gipson has shown lots of potential in his second year and has made the most of his extra playing time. He has played into the conversation for the starting pass rushers on this team and should be used as a major part of the defense going forward and into next year.