Chicago Bears Week 3 Stock Report

The Chicago Bears dropped to 0-2 on the season following a disappointing 48-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, and they will now face the difficult task of playing the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 3.

The Bears and Seahawks last squared off in 2012, and Seattle came away with a 23-17 victory at Soldier Field. Seattle and Chicago have met 14 times before in the regular season, and the Seahawks hold an edge in the regular-season series with a 10-4 record. The Bears are 2-0 against Seattle in the playoffs.

Seattle is coming off a 27-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, and the team will be looking for its first win of the season this Sunday.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler left the game against the Cardinals late in the second quarter because of a hamstring injury, and according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Cutler is expected to miss at least the next two games. The Bears have not officially announced whether Cutler will miss this Sunday's game, but if he does not play, veteran backup Jimmy Clausen is expected to get the start.

Chicago showed some promise in its Week 1 loss to the Packers, but the team took a step back last week against Arizona.

Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling as the Bears head into their Week 3 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks?

Stock Up: Pernell McPhee

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In two games, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee has recorded nine tackles and has been active whenever on the field. The Bears signed the former Baltimore Raven to a five-year contract this offseason, but he has been unable to take down an opposing quarterback for a sack.

Even though McPhee has yet to record a sack this season, he did show progress last week against the Cardinals.

According to Pro Football Focus, McPhee recorded two quarterback hits and six quarterback hurries in Week 2, and he finished the game with a plus-7.3 overall grade. He did fail to bring down Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer on a free rush up the middle, but he was able to provide constant pressure all afternoon.

After the game, he admitted he has to do a better job of finishing plays.

“Just gotta finish,” McPhee said about his missed sack, per WGNRadio.com's Adam Hoge. “It was a lack of focus on my end. I mean, I take that. That could have changed the whole game.”

McPhee played primarily on the left side against the Packers in Week 1, but he moved all over the front seven in Week 2. He lined up on the left side, the right side and even lined up opposite of Arizona's guards.  

Since he has yet to record a sack in two games, McPhee could be viewed as a disappointment, but if Sunday's game is any indication of how he will play on a weekly basis, he has a chance to put up strong numbers in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system.

Stock Down: Jared Allen

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While McPhee was exploding off the line of scrimmage and creating pressure, Jared Allen was struggling to get off the football.

The NFL's active sacks leader was once one of the league's most feared pass-rushers, but the 33-year-old outside linebacker looks like a shell of his former self.

According to Pro Football Focus, Allen has played 74 of the team's 119 plays on defense and has recorded zero sacks, zero quarterback hurries and just three quarterback hits. Allen did haul in an impressive interception late in the first half against the Cardinals, but he has struggled to create much pressure as a pass-rusher. 

Allen has been unable to apply consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season, but he said his sacks will come, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson:

"

Sacks are a funny thing. I know it’s the sexy thing these days. You’ve got to earn them. The ball can come out quick. If you’re behind on the scoreboard and they’re running the ball and play-action and stuff like that, you’re not typically going to get a whole bunch. But when they come, they come in bunches. You don’t worry about that stuff.

I’m more worried about getting the win before I’ll worry about how many sacks we get. But yeah, that is something we need to do because we’ve got to pick up our rush tempo.

"

The former Kansas City Chief and Minnesota Viking recorded a career-low 5.5 sacks last season, and he has shown very little through two games this season to suggest he will be able to top that number in 2015.

Allen still has the ability to make opposing offensive linemen look silly because of how he uses his hands and his strength, but he went from being a guy who could do that on a down-to-down basis to a player who can only do that during a handful of snaps each game.

There is always the chance that Allen could rediscover his pass-rushing abilities this season, but he may start to see his snaps decrease in the coming weeks unless he can become more consistent as a pass-rusher.

Stock Up: Kyle Long

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After taking no reps in the preseason at the position, Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long made his first career start at right tackle in Week 1 against the Packers. 

"There's another learning curve that I have to go through," Long said about his move to right tackle, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. "Which sucks. But I'm a team guy. So I do what the team wants me to do."

He struggled at first against outside linebacker Julius Peppers, but the young lineman settled in as the game went on. After spending part of the first half lunging toward defenders instead of engaging them, Long collected himself and started attacking on the edge in the second half. He still needs to sharpen his technique, but he was praised by Cutler after Chicago's loss to Green Bay.

"For having one week at right tackle, I thought he did excellent," Cutler said about Long, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns.

According to Pro Football Focus, Long registered a minus-4.7 overall grade against the Packers, but he finished Week 2's game against the Cardinals with a plus-2.5 overall grade. He allowed a sack in both games, but after giving up four quarterback hurries in Week 1, Long allowed just one quarterback hurry in Week 2.

Long injured his hand against the Packers and wore a club on his right hand on Sunday, but the cast did not appear to alter his play. He was not able to latch on to defenders like he normally would without a cast, but he admitted he is starting to feel comfortable at the position.

“The more and more reps I get out there, the more and more comfortable I’ll be, regardless of whatever’s going on with the hand,” he said, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley.

In what has been a disappointing start to the season for the Bears, Long has been one of the team's lone bright spots on either side of the ball. If he can continue to develop on the outside, he has a chance to earn another Pro Bowl selection this season.

Stock Down: Vladimir Ducasse

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While Long has been flourishing on the outside at right tackle after a rough start, his replacement at right guard has struggled.

The Bears signed veteran Vladimir Ducasse to a one-year deal this offseason, and the former New York Jet and Minnesota Viking has been one of the team's weakest links along the offensive line this season.

In Chicago's Week 1 matchup with the Packers, Ducasse played all 77 snaps at right guard and finished with a minus-6.2 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also called for two penalties and allowed three quarterback hurries. 

Ducasse struggled in both pass protection and the running game, but he showed some improvement last week as a run-blocker.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ducasse finished with a minus-0.4 overall grade and graded out positively in the running game with a plus-1.4 run-block grade. Even though he showed improvement in the run game, he was once again called for two penalties and gave up one sack and two quarterback hurries. 

He started five games for the Jets between 2010 and 2013 and made six starts last season for the Vikings, but he has struggled with consistency throughout his career. He has terrific size (6'5", 325 lbs) for the position, but he makes a lot of mental mistakes. 

Ducasse is a bruising guard who is a great fit in a power-running scheme, but Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase uses a variety of different schemes in the running game. Ducasse has been effective when the Bears opt to run the football between the tackles, but he struggles when asked to get to the second level as a blocker.

The Bears signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting guard Patrick Omameh before the start of the regular season, and there is a chance he could be inserted into the lineup at right guard in the future if Ducasse continues to struggle.

Stock Down: Kyle Fuller

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Cornerback Kyle Fuller burst onto the scene last year after recording two interceptions in the team's first win of the season in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers, but he has struggled to make an impact this season.

Fuller struggled against Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald last Sunday and often looked like he was playing out of position. He was later replaced by second-year man Terrance Mitchell.

“You just got to expect better from yourself, as the group,” Fuller said after the game, per ChicagoFootball.com's Arthur Arkush. “So just got to go in this week and put the work in.”

Head coach John Fox was asked about Fuller's benching and what that means moving forward, but the veteran coach said he is still trying to evaluate the position.

“We’re still evaluating,” Fox said, per Jahns. “We’ll evaluate every game as we march through the season. I just know we gave up 170 yards of penalties on downfield throws. And it wasn’t a mystery that we were going to see some of those.”

From a technique standpoint, Fuller has had his ups and downs so far this season, but from a mental standpoint, he has made far too many mistakes.

One example of his struggles came last Sunday when he was called for a 42-yard pass interference penalty in the first quarter on a deep throw to Cardinals receiver John Brown. Fuller timed his jump well, but he did not turn back toward the football before trying to swat the ball away from the young receiver.

He made another mistake when the Cardinals ran a flea flicker in the third quarter. Instead of sticking with his man, Fuller got caught looking into the backfield, and he took one step toward the line of scrimmage before realizing his mistake. By the time Fuller recovered, Fitzgerald was already a step ahead of him. Palmer then tossed the ball down the field and hit Fitzgerald for a 28-yard touchdown.

Fuller is a talented player who has a lot of upside, but he has been playing tentatively on the outside. If he continues to struggle, the Bears may opt to see what they have in Mitchell as a starter at cornerback.

Statistical information and measurables courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.