The Chicago Bears did it again with another dominating, yet close, performance, taking down the New England Patriots 30-24 on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.
There were some close moments there, but it was Bears kicker Cairo Santos nailing a clutch, career-long 58-yard field goal that helped give them the win despite him missing a field goal earlier in the fourth quarter. Chicago put up 405 yards of offense, and their defense allowed only 2-of-7 third-down conversions.
For the Bears, this game produced clear winners and losers. Here are Chicago's winners and losers from a pivotal victory over the Patriots.
Winners and losers from the Bears' Week 7 win over the Patriots
Winner: D'Andre Swift, RB
This was a good bounce-back game for Swift, and even though he didn't have his best performance, he improved throughout the game, which made it more impressive. He finished with 22 rushes for 78 yards and one touchdown, while adding four receptions for 12 yards. It's been a struggle without Kyle Monangai in the lineup, but Swift really came through when the Bears needed him to.
Loser: Jaylon Johnson, CB
Johnson, man, he's just not getting any better in coverage. He is such a liability in coverage, constantly giving up easy completions, and he had a horrendous angle on the Patriots' final-score drive to close out the first half. We need to talk about replacing Johnson with someone else as soon as possible because he's lost his touch. He's a lost cause now.
Winner: Luther Burden III, WR
It's clear now: Burden is WR1 for the Bears. Burden had a monster performance, catching all four of his targets for 130 yards and one touchdown, including a 58-yard reception. He finally broke through for his first 100-yard game of the season and is starting to live up to the preseason hype.
Loser: Zavion Thomas, WR
Granted, Thomas had a really nice 47-yard kickoff return, but he also had some bad moments. Two penalties erased some really good plays for the Bears, which set the offense back. It was clear he was struggling in the blocking game, so Ben Johnson should consider doing something different and not having him block for the time being.
Winner: Kyler Gordon, CB
On the first drive, Gordon made an impact with a massive sack on fourth down, turning the Patriots over. He finished with five tackles, two tackles for loss, two pressures, one quarterback hit, one run stop, and one sack. Gordon's redemption story is one for the history books, given how impactful he's been for Chicago.
Winner: Cairo Santos, K
Santos made the biggest play of the game with his 58-yard field goal, validating Johnson's gutsy call. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Santos hit the field goal post that could have cost the Bears the game, but he redeemed himself with a career-long kick to win it. He made three of his four field goals and was the hero of the night.
Winner: Rome Odunze, WR
Admittedly, I have been very harsh on Odunze all season, and for the first three quarters, I was justified. But man, Odunze really came through in the clutch when it mattered most, with two massive receptions on the final drive, including a 21-yard catch on third-and-nine and another 21-yard catch on second-and-12. Oh, and he got the onside kick at the end of the game to seal the win.
He finished the night with four receptions for 69 yards. Not a perfect day, but Odunze answered the bell when the Bears needed him the most.
Read more: What Kyle Monangai missing his third straight game means for Bears in Week 7
Winner: Caleb Williams, QB
Doesn't it feel like Williams actually got better as a quarterback after the hamstring injury? He had a second straight 300-yard passing day and threw two touchdowns in the victory. It's a real shame he missed three games, because Williams 100% should be in the MVP conversation, and it's a shame he only played the last two contests.
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