Chicago Bears Rookie Watch: Week 5 Edition

Chicago Bears Rookie Watch: Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith, CBs

Justin Fields and D.J. Moore stole the show against the Commanders, but the Bears' defense was an unsung hero in the team's first win of the season. The unit limited Sam Howell to just 71 first-half passing yards, shutting down Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson en route to a 27-3 halftime lead.

Cornerbacks Terell Smith and Tyrique Stevenson are thriving in an injured Bears secondary

The team was without Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson, but rookies Terell Smith and Tyrique Stevenson were both difference-makers. This was undoubtedly Smith's best game of the season. He was reliable in coverage all night as the Bears shut down the Commanders in the first half, then he made the biggest defensive play of the night, a strip and recovery of Commanders tight end Logan Thomas that kept Washington from cutting into a 16-point deficit.

Smith and Stevenson combined for 15 tackles, and they held Dotson and McLaurin to just seven catches and 79 yards. With Jaylon Johnson and possibly Kyler Gordon coming back, plus news that Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson is headed to IR, the matchup of the Vikings' receivers vs. the Bears' secondary might just tilt in Chicago's favor, something that would have seemed impossible just a few weeks ago.