The Chicago Bears suffered another brutal defeat to the Green Bay Packers, which marks their seventh straight loss in the rivalry.
After jumping out to a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, the Bears were outscored 24-3 in the final three quarters. It was another embarrassing showing on prime-time, where Chicago is looking to recoup heading into a somewhat easier two-game slate.
Here’s a look at which Bears players are trending up or down following Sunday’s Week 2 loss against the Packers:
Stock Up: RB David Montgomery
Montgomery was the lone bright spot on offense for the Bears in an otherwise brutal showing, where he rebounded following a rough outing against the 49ers in Week 1. Montgomery had his way with Green Bay’s defense, rushing for 122 yards on 15 carries for a 8.1 average per carry. He added two receptions for 14 yards. While there were some who believed Khalil Herbert might pass up Montgomery, it’s safe to say that certainly doesn’t appear to be the case.
Stock Down: CB Kyler Gordon
Aaron Rodgers picked on Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon throughout Sunday night’s game, and it was a brutal outing for the rookie. Gordon allowed 10 catches on 13 targets for 162 yards and a touchdown against the Packers. There are going to be growing pains with rookies, and this one game won’t define his career. But it was still a rough day at the office for Gordon, who will likely be targeted by opposing offenses moving forward.
Stock Up: DE Trevis Gipson
Gipson certainly appears to have picked up where he left off last season, despite not being a starter behind Robert Quinn and Al-Quadin Muhammad. Gipson had two first-half sacks of Rodgers on Sunday, where he helped the defense get an early, yet fleeting, spark in the first half. Gipson’s stat line for the night was impressive: 4 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits.
Stock Down: OC Luke Getsy
The honeymoon certainly appears to be over for Getsy, who has been the subject of criticism following a brutal offensive showing. While the first offensive series was impressive, it was all downhill from there. Getsy has come under fire for his play-calling, which was unbalanced. The Bears ran the ball 27 times and passed the ball 11 times, and it certainly appeared he was hesitant to let Justin Fields air it out, especially when trailing by multiple scores. Then there’s the matter of having Fields in the shotgun on fourth-and-goal from the half-yard line.
Stock Up: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
There hasn’t been much of a passing game for Chicago, but St. Brown has emerged as the top wideout through these first two games. He has three receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown in those contests. St. Brown, who was the third-highest graded offensive player by PFF at 77.2, showed his versatility in the passing game and as a blocker against the Packers. As Fields has struggled out of the gate, St. Brown is someone who has emerged as a security blanket.
Stock Down: QB Justin Fields
Fields isn’t in an ideal situation in Chicago, which is something we all knew. But he had a rough outing against the Packers, where he only attempted 11 passes. Fields completed seven of those for 70 yards and an interception, and he also added 20 yards on eight carries and a score. But the Bears have the worst passing offense in the league — and it’s not even close. Maybe this is the week we’ll finally get to see Fields air it out.
Stock Up: DT Justin Jones
There wasn’t a lot to love on defense following a beatdown by the Packers, but Jones quietly had an encouraging performance. Jones, who was brought in as Matt Eberflus’ 3-technique, had 8 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss. He was also Chicago’s highest-graded defender by PFF at 77.0, earning high marks in run defense and tackling.
Stock Down: LB Roquan Smith
As Smith plays out the final year of his rookie deal, he hasn’t made a strong impression as he looks to earn a big pay day. Smith appears to have regressed in this new scheme, where he’s playing weak-side linebacker. Sure, he tied for a team-best 11 tackles against the Packers, but that was an example of the numbers lying. Smith was blocked by AJ Dillon on Aaron Jones’ touchdown run in the second quarter, and he failed to make the kind of plays that would garner becoming a top-paid linebacker in the league. Granted, we’re still just two games into Smith playing in this system. But it hasn’t been an encouraging start.
Stock Down: WR Darnell Mooney, TE Cole Kmet
Mooney and Kmet are the Bears’ top playmakers heading into this season, but they’ve been complete non-factors through the first two weeks of the season. Mooney has just two catches for 4 yards while Kmet has zero catches in two games. Eberflus said that this offense can’t thrive unless Mooney and Kmet are involved, and that’ll be a focal point heading into Week 3.
