Chicago Bears Week 4 Stock Report

The Chicago Bears dropped to 0-3 on the season after their loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, but they will head back home this Sunday to take on the Oakland Raiders in Week 4.

The Bears and Raiders have met just 13 times in the past, and the Raiders hold a slight edge in the all-time series with a 7-6 record. The two teams last squared off in 2011 with Oakland coming away with a 25-20 victory.

On Monday, head coach John Fox said his team will have to move on from its first three games and focus on the future.

“[We’re] obviously disappointed that we’re 0-3 in those opportunities," Fox said, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "I don’t know that it’s all been horrible. I know the result is horrible, but hopefully we can grow and learn and get better from it moving forward.”

The Raiders are coming off a 27-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, and the Bears will face the difficult task of slowing down Oakland's balanced offensive attack. Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 314 yards with two touchdowns and finished with a 115.9 quarterback rating against the Browns, while running back Latavius Murray carried the football 26 times for 139 yards with one touchdown.

Oakland's pass defense is suspect, but it has two of the best young pass-rushers in the game in Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith. The Raiders have their flaws on both sides of the ball, but they appear to be much improved over the team that went 3-13 last season.

Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling as the Bears head into their Week 4 matchup with the Raiders?

Stock Up: Sam Acho

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

On Monday afternoon, the Bears made a bit of a splash by trading outside linebacker Jared Allen to the Carolina Panthers.

"We had some depth at the linebacker position and were able to reach an agreement with the Panthers to bring a 2016 draft pick to our team in exchange for Jared Allen," said general manager Ryan Pace in a statement, per Mayer. "Whether it is acquiring additional picks or signing players, we will continue to be aggressive in finding ways to improve our football team."

The Bears signed Allen in March 2014, but he struggled last season and recorded a career-low 5.5 sacks. He moved to outside linebacker in Chicago's new 3-4 defense this offseason, but he looked like a shell of his former self in the team's first three games of the year.

In his three games with the Bears this season, Allen recorded five tackles, one pass deflection and one interception.

With Allen now with Carolina, veteran linebacker Sam Acho should see an increase in his snaps in the coming weeks.

The Bears signed Acho to a one-year deal this offseason, but the team cut the former Arizona Cardinal just before the start of the regular season.

“Long story short, they found out I had mono,” Acho told Laurence Holmes of WSCR-AM last week, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

He re-signed with the team after Chicago's Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and according to Pro Football Focus, he played 14 snaps in Week 2 against the Cardinals and recorded one quarterback hurry. In Week 3 against Seattle, Acho played 34 of the team's 67 snaps on defense.

He recorded just two tackles against the Seahawks, but Allen's departure should open up the door for the former Texas Longhorns standout to received extended playing time against Oakland this week.

According to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears listed Acho as a starter at outside linebacker when they released their latest unofficial depth chart.

Acho burst onto the scene in his rookie season with Arizona in 2011 and recorded 40 tackles, seven sacks, two pass deflections and four forced fumbles. He registered four sacks the following season, but an injury in 2013 forced him to miss all but three games. He was used in various sub-packages last season in Arizona and tallied 31 tackles, one sack, three pass deflections and one interception, but the Cardinals opted to let him hit free agency.

Acho has not been able to match his sack totals from his rookie season in 2011, but he is a reliable linebacker who could thrive if given more opportunities to rush the passer. He will still have to fight with Lamarr Houston and Willie Young for consistent playing time, but Allen's departure means Acho's stock is rising as the team heads into Week 4.

Stock Down: Jimmy Clausen

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Quarterback Jimmy Clausen started in Week 3 against Seattle in place of starter Jay Cutler, and the former second-round pick struggled.

The Bears opted to take pressure off Clausen by running the football, but when he was asked to throw the ball, Clausen could not get himself into a rhythm. He completed just nine of his 17 passing attempts for 63 yards, was sacked twice and finished the game with a 61.6 quarterback rating. 

"It was tough," Clausen said after the game, per Eli Kaberon of ChicagoBears.com. "Our focus was run the ball against these guys. Obviously they're a great defense. They have a great pass rush. But we wanted to run the ball, and that's what we were trying to do." 

Clausen struggled to push the football down the field, and his biggest play of the day was a 21-yard pass to backup tight end Zach Miller. Clausen looked out of sorts in the pocket, and he did a bad job of feeling pressure around him. He did run the football three times for 13 yards, but he looked uncomfortable all afternoon.

Clausen made a lot of throws off his back foot, but he did not turn the ball over. He was faced with the difficult task of playing Seattle on the road without No. 1 wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, but Chicago's passing offense looked inept with Clausen under center.

The Bears have not announced Cutler's status for this week's game against Oakland, but if he is unable to go, Clausen could get pushed by former sixth-round pick David Fales for the starting job.

“I would consider starting anybody on the 53-man roster,” Fox said when asked if Fales could start, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. “That’s why they’re here. I think, obviously, we want to pick the best 11 whenever we deem that to be. And we won’t know that until we check the injury report on Friday.”

Fales missed most of training camp due to an undisclosed illness, but he played well in the preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Clausen has not looked comfortable in offensive coordinator Adam Gase's scheme in the six-plus quarters he has played in this season, and it might be time for the Bears to see what they have in Fales this week.

Stock Up: Jarvis Jenkins

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Chicago's offense struggled mightily on Sunday, but a few players stood out on defense, including defensive end Jarvis Jenkins.

Jenkins signed a one-year deal with the Bears this offseason, and he was a monster on the field against the Seahawks. The former Clemson Tiger recorded 10 tackles, and he sacked Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson twice.

"The thing about it was finishing," Jenkins said after the game, per Campbell. "We knew this guy likes to scramble a lot. We just stayed in our rush lanes and kept an eye on the quarterback. We got it done today, but there's still a lot of improving to do."

Jenkins was explosive off the football all afternoon and did a great job of creating pressure up front. One of his sacks came on a bull rush up the middle in which he was able to collapse the pocket, while his other sack came when he worked his way back toward Wilson after he rushed too far up the field.

In addition to making plays in the passing game, Jenkins was also a force against the run. He did a great job of setting the edge, and he was able to disengage quickly from opposing offensive linemen. 

"We've got a lot of work to do as a defensive line," he said, per Mayer. "We're not satisfied. The only thing right now is that we shouldn't be hanging our heads and we've got to go back to work Monday."

Jenkins flashed his potential at times in Washington, but he was very inconsistent. He seems to have found a role that suits him well in Chicago, and if he can continue to produce on a weekly basis like he did against Seattle, he could be considered a building block on defense for the Bears moving forward.

Stock Down: Jermon Bushrod

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The Bears signed tackle Jermon Bushrod to a five-year, $35.96 million contract in 2013 to help anchor the left side of the offensive line, but he has struggled in Chicago the last two seasons.

Bushrod played well in 2013, but he struggled in pass protection last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Bushrod allowed five sacks, nine quarterback hits and 31 quarterback hurries in 947 snaps last season. 

He showed off his ability to get to the second level as a run-blocker in Week 1 against Green Bay earlier this month, but he was called for three penalties and allowed one sack in Week 2 against Arizona. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 36 snaps on offense last week before an injury forced him to miss the rest of the game.

According to the team's official Twitter account, Bushrod suffered a concussion against the Seahawks and was replaced by Charles Leno at left tackle.

After looking sharp against Green Bay, Bushrod looked out of sorts at times against Arizona. He was at his best with the New Orleans Saints when he was able to rely on his athleticism and strength to force pass-rushers to the outside, but he has looked a step or two slow at times this season.

Instead of engaging with defenders, Bushrod has been caught lunging at pass-rushers, giving them the opportunity to either cross in front of his face or dip their shoulder and beat him to the outside. 

He is still an asset in the running game on tosses and screen passes to the outside, but his overall play has slowly declined since joining the Bears in 2013.

If Bushrod's concussion lingers and he is not able to play this Sunday, Leno will be faced with the difficult task of trying to slow down either Mack or Smith on the outside.

Stock Up: Pernell McPhee

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After a couple of quiet games to begin his Bears career, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee came out swinging against the Seahawks last Sunday. McPhee recorded seven tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in Week 3.

Even though the Bears lost, McPhee was pleased with the team's attitude on defense.

“You could see in some of the plays we were playing with an attitude, we were playing with a swag, and all that goes to show that it’s coming along,” McPhee said, per ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain. “The defense is starting to play together.”

His first sack came when he was lined up opposite of Seattle tight end Jimmy Graham, and he easily dipped his shoulder and beat the All-Pro tight end on the outside. His second sack came on the very next play when he lined up opposite of right tackle Garry Gilliam.

The former Baltimore Raven beat Gilliam off the snap and quickly worked up the field. Wilson stepped up in the pocket, but McPhee was able to use his speed to close in on Wilson for his second sack of the game.

Even though he has only recorded two sacks this season, McPhee has done a great job of applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks. According to Pro Football Focus, he has tallied five quarterback hits and 11 quarterback hurries in 140 snaps this season. 

In addition to leading by example on the field, McPhee has also been a leader in the locker room. He discussed that role last week, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune:

"

You’ve got to rally. You got to let everybody know—especially the young guys—man, it's going to be a long season. We can make this season be the season we want it to be. Or we can be out here miserable. I’ve just got to keep pushing guys. Because in my heart, it’s nothing but win, win, win. Even when I lose, I still try to come in with a mindset that the next game we’re going to win. The next day in practice I’m going to win. So you just try to keep the young guys minds all right. You let them know that it ain’t all right but it’s all right. It’s not the end of the world. We have a whole nother week to go play against a new team. And we’ve got a chance to fix this.

"

If McPhee can continue to inspire his teammates with both his words and the way he plays on the field, the Bears may be able to come away with their first victory of the season against Oakland.

Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.

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

Follow @MattEurich.