The Chicago Bears defeated the Houston Texans 23-20 on Sunday, where they improved to 2-1 on the season.
The Bears continued to struggle in the passing game, but they absolutely dominated on the ground with 281 rushing yards. Khalil Herbert, who replaced an injured David Montgomery, accounted for 157 of those. We saw some bend, don’t break defense from Chicago, but they came up big when the team needed them, which included two interceptions at critical moments of the game.
Here’s a look at which Bears players are trending up or down following Sunday’s Week 3 win against the Texans.
Stock Up: LB Roquan Smith
There were questions about whether linebacker Roquan Smith would play in last Sunday’s game against the Texans. Well, it’s a good thing he was good to go, as he was a huge reason why the Bears squeaked out a narrow win. Smith had a monster game with 16 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, and an interception that led to the game-winning field goal.
Stock Down: QB Justin Fields
It’s not looking good for quarterback Justin Fields, who had a brutal outing against the Texans. Fields completed just 8-of-17 passes for 106 yards with two interceptions for a 27.7 passer rating. Fields looked uncomfortable out there, which impacted his accuracy and decision-making. He’s a big reason why the passing game stalled against the 26th-ranked passing defense.
Stock Up: RB Khalil Herbert
The Bears are lucky to have two starting-caliber running backs on their roster. So after David Montgomery exited the game with an ankle injury in the first quarter, Khalil Herbert stepped in and dominated Houston’s porous run defense. Herbert had a career day with 157 yards on 20 carries (7.9 average) with two touchdowns. If Montgomery can’t go this week, Herbert will get the start against the Giants.
Stock Down: RB David Montgomery
Coming off an impressive game against the Packers, David Montgomery suffered an ankle injury against Houston. He had three carries for 11 yards being exiting the game in the first quarter. Matt Eberflus said Montgomery is day-to-day with an ankle injury, which means he’s not necessarily ruling out a return for the RB1 against the Giants. But with a starting-caliber back in Herbert, there’s no reason for Chicago to rush Montgomery back.
Stock Up: S Eddie Jackson
Safety Eddie Jackson has been one of the best players on the Bears roster through the first three games. Jackson had another solid outing against the Texans, where he had eight tackles (second to Roquan Smith’s 16) and a crucial interception with the Texans threatening in the red zone. Jackson now has two interceptions in the first three games of the season, and he’s certainly in the midst of a bounce-back season.
Stock Down: WR Darnell Mooney
Receiver Darnell Mooney has been non-existent in this offense through three games. And while he had his first multi-reception game of the season — two catches for 23 yards — that came on six targets. Mooney has just four receptions for 27 yards through three games, where he’s finding it difficult as the team’s new WR1.
Stock Up: CB Kindle Vildor
With Jaylon Johnson sidelined with a quad injury, Kindle Vildor stepped in at cornerback for the Bears. Vildor played 98% of the snaps on defense, where he totaled 5 tackles, including 1 tackle for loss, and 2 pass breakups, which included a tipped pass on the ball Eddie Jackson intercepted. While Vildor wasn’t perfect, he showed up when Chicago needed him.
Stock Down: RG Lucas Patrick
Despite snapping the ball in practice last week, Lucas Patrick didn’t get the start at center against the Texans. Instead, Patrick was back at right guard, where he got the start over Teven Jenkins. Patrick played 65% of the snaps at right guard, but he struggled, especially in pass protection. He was the lowest-graded offensive player for the Bears by Pro Football Focus, which included a dismal 32.6.
