The Chicago Bears just traded for Chase Claypool on Tuesday so it is no surprise that he only played 26 of the team’s 74 snaps. He was essentially the fourth wide receiver when it comes to snaps, so you know that will be boosted up a bit in the coming weeks.
Still, it did not take one Steelers beat writer from tweeting about the lackluster stat line that Claypool posted. The comments are filled with people saying the Bears made a mistake to draft him. Still, just with two catches on 26 snaps Claypool actually made a difference in this game.
3. Drawing Pass Interference for the Chicago Bears
This is not even about the non-call that would have changed the game in many ways. Still, Claypool had a chance to put the Chicago Bears at about the 25-yard line late in the game, and he was given a Bears hug and pulled away from the football. There was no call.
This is just an illustration of a small way that he helps. Claypool is huge out there, and you can tell immediately when is on the field based on his size. So, when he jumps up to get the ball, defenders are often in tough positions. This is going to lead to passing interference.
This did not happen often in Pittsburgh because they do not have a deep ball passer like Justin Fields. Fields went to him with the game on the line and should have drawn PI, but on the first drive of the game, he did it as well.
This time Claypool did draw the PI and picked up 28 yards for the Chicago Bears. If a 28-yard catch was in the stat sheet you wouldn’t hear much about his first week. He flipped the field on the first drive and should have been the hero on the last. Justin Fields likes to throw it up when he gets one-on-one, and that is going to cause this to happen more often. Get ready to see some hidden yardage and more deep shots to Chase Claypool.