Stock Up, Stock Down after Bears’ fourth straight win |
Ariana Pensy
· · 3 hours ago
CHICAGO - For the first time since 2018, the Chicago Bears have won four straight games. There were certainly some stocks that went up after this game, especially defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
It was a great revenge game for Allen who spent a total of 15 years with the New Orleans Saints before they fired him mid-season last season. His defense generated four turnovers for the third time this year, had four sacks, and only allowed 44 rushing yards. During this four-game winning streak, Chicago’s defense has 15 turnovers, which is quite remarkable. Allen’s stock was up before the Saints game because of how the defense has performed. But after this dominant performance, his stock has risen even further. Through the first seven weeks, Allen should certainly be considered for Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Bears have been dealing with numerous injuries in the secondary this season. Pro-Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson has yet to play a full game, while Kyler Gordon has missed some time, and Tyrique Stevenson was injured against the Saints. With all these injuries, Wright has been asked to step and he most certainly has. Wright has two interceptions so far this season, including one against New Orleans. He allowed a touchdown against the Saints too, which is not something the Bears want to see going forward. However, he only allowed a 39.6 quarterback rating, his lowest since the season opener. Wright has been a solid cornerback for Chicago this year, especially with all of the injuries, and the Bears will need him to continue to do so.
Wide receiver Rome Odunze looked like he was on his way to one of the best seasons in Chicago Bears history after the first four games. However, since the bye week, Odunze has not been much of a presence on Chicago’s offense. In the first four games, Odunze had five touchdowns. He has not found the end zone since. Furthermore, he has only had four receptions in the two games since the bye week despite being targeted 11 times. While the Bears are on a four-game winning streak, they are going to need Odunze to get back to his performance in the first four weeks for the Bears to be contenders later in the season.
Moore was expected to be more of a factor in the offense this season. However, he is usually targeted only five times per game and has yet to record more than five catches in a game. Furthermore, he has only had one touchdown this year. Chicago has scored over 20 points in every game this season, so this is not a problem with the Bears’ offense. For a receiver with a salary like Moore’s, the Bears need more out of him.
The bye week was a turning point for this rushing offense. Both running backs had minimal production prior to the bye week. Running back D’Andre Swift had a breakout game against the Washington Commanders, and against the Saints, Monangai had his breakout game. He had a career-high in carries with 13 and made the most out of those opportunities with 6.2 yards per carry and his first NFL touchdown. Between Swift and Monangai, the Bears seem to have a dynamic duo in the backfield where one or both of them can explode at any time.Dennis Allen - Stock Up
Nahshon Wright - Stock Up
Rome Odunze - Stock Down
D.J. Moore - Stock Down
Kyle Monangai - Stock Up
