The Chicago Bears have been trending up in recent weeks. They are 4-4 in the last eight games, and are coming off of a win. However, there are always some issues with the roster and some things that could be improved for the team. Which players on the Bears have been trending down in recent weeks?
5. The Chicago Bears reduced the snaps of Yannick Ngakoue in week 12
The Chicago Bears signing of Yannick Ngakoue has not gone well. In typical Bears fashion, this will be the first time that Ngakoue does not record eight sacks in a season. The Bears have given him plenty of shots, and he has been a poor rusher and run defender.
The thought was that the addition of Montez Sweat would make everyone around him better. It did, expect for Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue had a 5.3% pass rush win rate without Sweat, and that is down to 2.7%. To be fair, that went from 90th out of 113 qualified rushers to 95th out of 99 qualified rushers, so he has been poor all year. Still, he has somehow been worse with Sweat.
Someone like DeMarcus Walker has upped his game with Sweat. He has had nine pressures in the past two weeks, and his win rate is up from 8.7% to 15.8% with the addition of Sweat.
The Bears showcased a look against Minnesota that had Sweat and Walker on the right side and then Gervon Dexter with Justin Jones on the other. It opens the door for stunts and a lot of interesting looks.
Of course, this means Ngakoue is on the sideline. On run downs, their best look is Sweat and Walker on the edges, with Jones next to Andrew Billings inside. No Ngakoue.
Ngakoue was down to 52.7% of the snaps played against Minnesota, by far the lowest rate of his season. His second lowest was 62.3% in week three.
Will he continue to lose snaps as the season goes on, or will he get to redeem himself after the bye?