The Chicago Bears face impending doom before the game with the news that cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon were not going to play in their 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but they did what they did in the preseason: fought through it.
Chicago's top two corners for the game were Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright with Jaylon Jones getting some playing time as well. It was a masterful performace from a group of second stringers who came in and played well.
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy only threw for 143 yards in the game. The most impressive part? Star receiver Justin Jefferson held to four catches for 44 yards on seven targets and one touchdown.
The other pass catchers with at least 10 receiving yards were Jalen Nailor (28) and T.J. Hockenson (15).
Wright had the highlight play of the night when he jumped in front of a McCarthy pass for an interception and took it back 74 yards for the touchdown. That put the Bears up 17-6 at that point in the game.
How to access the overall performance of the Bears' secondary?
Outside of the interception, Wright and Stevenson each got one pass deflection in coverage. They combined for seven tackles. Wright added a tackle for loss in his impressive game.
One of the standouts of training camp and preseason was Wright, who emerged after some strong performances, but then had the Kansas City Chiefs preseason game, where he earned two penalties for 30 yards on one play. He certainly bounced back from that game and proved he can be a starter.
This was a guy who was on the Vikings' practice squad all of last season and had to fight and claw his way onto the Bears' 53-man roster. Wright has earned the right to be on the roster and get some more playing time this season.
Stevenson also got better for a guy who has been inconsistent and can't shake the infamous Washington Commanders Hail Mary from his resume. He also stepped up with some nice coverage plays in the secondary.
Credit has to be given to the safeties, Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker, as they held their own in the game. They each had five tackles in the loss. Even Jonathan Owens came up with a big tackle late in the game on a Vikings two-point conversion.
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Chicago could really use Johnson and Gordon back, but it was a stellar game for everyone out there, and more importantly, Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen set his players up with success. It was a loss for the Bears, but the secondary did their part to help position them to win.