Though no one should apologize for the Chicago Bears beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, not everything from this game was pretty. And at least two players had better watch their backs before they lose their jobs–including the starting running back. Here are a few “stock down” aspects of Sunday’s win that we should pay attention to going forward.
D’Andre Swift
After several weeks of solid ball, Swift crashed back to earth with a resounding thud. His fumble might’ve been questionable, but it’ll go on his ledger nonetheless. The bigger problem is that he went back to looking ineffective as a runner, earning just 15 yards on eight carries and getting passed over in crunch time in favor rookie Kyle Monangai. Some of it might have been the challenge of going up against a tough Steelers front, but Swift also looked less dynamic and aggressive than he has the last few weeks. When he’s not running hard downhill, he’s a very easy back to defend.
Theo Benedet
The second-year undrafted tackle sat this contest out with a quad injury he apparently suffered in practice, and his job might be in jeopardy as a result. Second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo jumped right in and had a strong game at left tackle, making it difficult to imagine the Bears wouldn’t want to see what else he can do in that role. The plain fact is that Benedet, though he’s performed admirably, isn’t a long-term starter in the NFL. With no clear answer at left tackle at this point, it makes sense to see if Trapilo can give you more there or if you need to spend more resources to shore it up next year. Bottom line: Beneder hasn’t done enough to avoid getting Wally Pipped, and it might have just happened.
Caleb Williams’ accuracy problems
It seems like a weird thing to harp on after the guy threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns. But we have to start questioning what he and his staff can do to leave less meat on the bone in the passing game, especially over the middle of the field. His too-high miss to Luther Burden III on a dig route was especially annoying, and he had another head-scratching one to Rome Odunze later in the game. His completion percentage just dipped to 59.2% for the season as well. Again, this isn’t to say Williams had an awful game, because he didn’t. But he can be a lot better. Also, no more strip-sacks in the end zone, please.
More Chicago Bears News:
- Mock draft sends Bears monster tackle to protect Caleb Williams’ blindside
- Bears Week 12 “Stock Up”: Ozzy Trapilo steals the show vs. Steelers
- Is Luther Burden III even better than we thought?
- Another top Chicago Bears draft pick already looking like a bust
