1. Demarquis Gates
This game will be a career-defining game for Demarquis Gates. The last two games have already ascended his status from just a camp body to somebody who will find himself on a practice squad somewhere.
Gates went from the AAF to the XFL and played in the USFL, flashing this spring. That got him into Bears camp, where he has made noise.
Still, the big plays have come in the preseason where he has shown to be a vicious tackler who has great awareness. It looks like he has played a few months ago while everyone is else is still shaking off the rust from last season.
As noted with Sanborn, the linebacker depth chart is not the most stacked. Would a great performance be enough to push the veteran Joe Thomas off of the roster? At the very least, it would lock him onto the practice squad at a minimum.
That would only be if another team did not come calling. That is why this game is so big for Gates because he is performing for anyone who may see his performance. Demarquis Gates is everything that the preseason finale is about.