Late season games proving valuable for this young Chicago Bears player

The Chicago Bears are two games away from ending a miserable season. While most fans checked out after the Green Bay Packers loss and the best case moving forward is to lose to their two division rivals, the end of the season still does have its value. These players are still pushing to prove themselves, and everybody is looking to improve.

Chicago Bears are seeing growth from Kyler Gordon

Kyler Gordon is one player making the most of these final games. Gordon has been up and down all season and may be ending things on a high note.  Early in the year, he was getting picked on. However, in the middle portion, he was showing some progress, but games against Dallas, Miami, and Detroit in a row had him chasing better offenses and struggling.

Gordon suffered a concussion against Atlanta and missed two games. However, the two games he played after returning from injury are some of his best performances.

According to PFF, only the Washington game in the middle of the year was better than these last two games. Gordon was excellent in that game. He was not quite as elite, but he did post interceptions in back-to-back games. Beyond that, he is also remaining active as a strong tackler in the ground game.

After playing the majority of his season in the slot, the Chicago Bears needed him on the outside for week 16. Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor are both out for the year, and Josh Blackwell has only played the slot. Gordon has played both, and it was wiser to ask him to play full-time outside than it was to tell Blackwell to move.

The Chicago Bears saw great results, with Gordon playing in the slot for just two snaps. This is another reminder that Gordon typically played outside at Washington. He moved into the slot at times, but passing attacks are not as deep in the slot in college as they are in the NFL.

So, Gordon may have even been a bit more comfortable after a full season of learning. It will be interesting to watch Gordon over the next two weeks because the team has two strong passing attacks. Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown will be huge tests and will move in and out of the slot. How the Chicago Bears use Gordon, and how he performs in these games could have a say in how momentum he enters the offseason feeling.

Right now, he is trending up at the right time, and giving fans a reason to think his second NFL season will be strong.