The Chicago Bears moved to 3-7 with a 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers. The game is a rare double win for a team out of the playoff hunt that got to win and improve their draft stock since they have the Panthers' pick.
We not only finally got to see the double-win, but we also saw a lot of things from the Bears that fans have been waiting for.
5. The Chicago Bears secondary was finally healthy
The Chicago Bears secondary was supposed to be their strength. Through nine weeks we have not seen that. Their starting five of Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, and Jaylon Johnson started just three games together, including week 10.
Entering week 10, they played just 41 snaps together. That is 27 snaps in week one before Kyler Gordon got hurt and 14 snaps in week six before Eddie Jackson got hurt. Gordon did not return until week six, Jackson missed weeks three through five, and weeks seven and eight.
More than that, Jaquan Brisker had been in and out of the line up and missed week eight and nine. Jaylon Johnson missed week four and five, and Tyrique Stevenson left two games with an injury.
Thursday was the first time that we saw their starting five from the preseason start the game and finish the game. Bryce Young had just 185 yards, and Michael Strachan led the team with just 45 yards.
Jaquan Brisker took a little to get adjusted, but once he shook the rust off, the secondary looked like the strength we thought that it would.
If you are optimistic about the Chicago Bears in the second half of the season, it starts with the secondary. The performance that they showed Thursday night helps your case.
4. We finally saw Jaylon Johnson do everything a lock down cornerback does
Jaylon Johnson has been doing everything that you can ask for to earn a contract this season. In the offseason, we noted that he is a low-end number one or a high-end number two. Two issues that were holding him back came down to a lack of interceptions and the inability to follow receivers all over the field.
In week seven, he answered the first question. He doubled his career total in interceptions with two, and he took one of them back for a touchdown. In week 10, we saw him follow Adam Thielen for the majority of the game.
When the Chicago Bears saw run downs, they kept Jaylon Johnson on the outside, knowing that Kyler Gordon would make an impact in the slot. However, on high-impact, passing down snaps, you saw Kyler Gordon move outside on someone like Jonathan Mingo, and Johnson was in the slot against Adam Thielen.
The slot had been an issue for Johnson in the past, but he looked good locking down Thielen. Thielen finished with just six catches for 42 yards on ten targets. That is his lowest yards per target of the season. His 4.2 yards per target is well below the eight he has for the year.
This is everything we wanted to see from Johnson. Now, he has to finish this way.
3. We finally saw what the Chicago Bears defensive line can do
The Chicago Bears traded for Montez Sweat for a few reasons. One of the big reasons was the ripple effect that impacted DeMarcus Walker. The Bears did not sign Walker to start but rather be a role player. The plan is to play Walker on the edge for run-downs, then have him slide inside on passing downs.
The Bears did not do that much because they were easing Montez Sweat in. However, Sweat got near his full workload on Thursday night. We finally saw his presence. More than that, Walker was moving all around.
We saw Walker, Justin Jones, Andrew Billings, and Montez Sweat on run-downs. This is easily the best run-defense look they have shown. On pass downs, they had Sweat, Walker, Justin Jones, and Yannick Ngakoue. They also had Gervon Dexter getting pass-rushing work early in the game instead of Justin Jones. That is their best pass-rush look we have seen all season. They finished with three sacks.
Now, the Bears have an extra few days to tinker with how they use these looks. This is exciting.
2. The Chicago Bears finally got a full game from Braxton Jones
We have been waiting for the return of Braxton Jones since he was placed on the IR in week two. Jones has had penalty issues, but the upgrade he brings over Larry Borom is hard to state.
Jones returned from the IR last week, and while he started, he did not play a full game. He played just 74% of the snaps. Larry Borom played a few drives, and one of the drives he played resulted in a strip sack.
Now, the Bears got a full game from Jones. Considering he will have the extra days off, we are about to see seven more games of Jones. This is a big season for the Chicago Bears to learn what they have in Jones.
So far, he looks like he deserves another season starting at left tackle. He looked good in the first game that he started and finished since week two. However, that is still up for debate over the rest of the year,
1. Matt Eberflus finally won a one-score game
Entering the season, Matt Eberflus was 1-9 in one-score games. To be fair, this was only the fifth time that Eberfus has won with the Chicago Bears. So, he is 3-13 in games that are not decided by two scores. Still, it is pretty telling that Eberflus is not able to get any of the swing games. He finally got one.
When the Chicago Bears allowed a punt return for a touchdown, to Imhir Smith-Marsette of all people, you had to think that it was not the Bears night; when the Bears had a false start during a field goal, you all thought that the next kick would be missed.
When Bryce Young started to drive in the fourth quarter, you all thought the Bears would blow it, or at the very least, the game was heading into overtime.
The Chicago Bears finally did not blow a lead, or come up short in the fourth quarter. The defense got a stop and forced a long kick that was not close to going in. The offense completed a big pass for a first down to ice the game. We finally saw what the Bears win a close game under Matt Eberflus.