Chicago Bears Week 6 Stock Report

The Chicago Bears stumbled to an 0-3 start this season, but they improved to 2-3 on the year after beating the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 5.

The Bears struggled on offense in the first half, but quarterback Jay Cutler led the team on back-to-back scoring drives late in the fourth quarter to help seal an 18-17 victory over the Chiefs.

“[Head coach John Fox] always tells us ‘don’t flinch,’ ‘don’t blink,’” said tackle Kyle Long, per ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain. “Things are going to happen, that’s the nature of the game. It’s not going to be all uphill or downhill for us. It’s going to be: You’re going to have some tough spots throughout the game and you need to be able to survive the body blows and keep working.”

Chicago battled back from a 14-point deficit on Sunday afternoon, and the team will look to add to its win total this weekend when it heads to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions.

The Bears have lost their last four games to the Lions, but they lead the all-time series with a 96-69-5 record. The Lions are in last place in the NFC North division with an 0-5 record, and they are coming off a 42-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.

Detroit is averaging an NFL-worst 49 rushing yards per game, and quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown just six touchdowns to eight interceptions this season. On the other side of the ball, Detroit's defense is giving up 27.6 points per game—seventh most in the NFL.

Chicago's offense and defense played well in the second half against Kansas City, and while many players have seen their stock rise because of their performance against the Chiefs, a few have seen their stock drop.

Whose stock is rising and whose is falling as the Bears travel to Detroit to take on the Lions this week?

Stock Up: Cameron Meredith

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Three years ago, Cameron Meredith was playing quarterback at Illinois State University, but last Sunday, he was making crucial catches for the Bears during the team's final drive of the game.

Meredith converted to wide receiver in 2013, and he came up big for the Redbirds last season. According to GoRedbirds.com, Meredith hauled in 66 passes for 1,061 yards with nine touchdowns during his senior season at Illinois State. 

He went undrafted earlier this offseason, but the Bears signed him as a free agent immediately following the draft. With injuries to Kevin White, Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson in the preseason, Meredith got an opportunity to take reps with the first-team offense during training camp.

Meredith finished the preseason with nine catches for 86 yards, and he made the team's 53-man roster. He did not play in Chicago's regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers, but he recorded three catches for 36 yards against the Cardinals in Week 2.

He was held off the stat sheet in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks and in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders, but he made four catches for 52 yards against the Chiefs last Sunday, including two catches for 30 yards on the offense's game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.

"He's grown and gotten better as we go," said Fox about Meredith on Monday, per the team's official Twitter account. 

Meredith has great size (6'3", 207 lbs) for the position, and he possesses strong hands. On his fourth catch of the game on Sunday, Meredith was able to secure a pass from Cutler that was thrown low, and he was able to find his way to the sidelines to help stop the clock on Chicago's final drive.

Meredith could stand to get stronger, but Cutler appears to trust the young receiver. Meredith saw extended playing time in Week 5 because both Jeffery and Royal were unable to play, and if both are unable to play in Week 6 against Detroit, Meredith could be in for another big day.

Stock Down: Martellus Bennett

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Martellus Bennett has been one of the NFL's best pass-catching tight ends over the course of the last two-plus seasons, but he struggled on Sunday against the Chiefs.

After finishing Week 4's contest against the Raiders with 11 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, Bennett caught just four passes for 32 yards against Kansas City. He was targeted 11 times, but he struggled to secure catches all afternoon.

"Not a great day for Martellus Bennett," tweeted the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns on Sunday.

According to Pro Football Focus, Cutler had a 44.9 quarterback rating when targeting Bennett against the Chiefs, and Bennett finished the game with two dropped passes. 

Kansas City safeties Tyvon Branch and Eric Berry played solid defense against Bennett late in the game, and the former Pro Bowl tight end looked out of sorts all afternoon—particularly on the team's final drive. Cutler targeted Bennett three times in the final two minutes, but he only recorded one catch for six yards.

Without Jeffery and Royal in the lineup, the Chiefs opted to slow down Bennett early in the game by giving their linebackers help over the top with a safety, but they were able to have success later in the game by just matching up with him one-on-one. 

Bennett is still one of Chicago's best options in the passing game, but he has a tendency to disappear when he is not involved early in the game. 

Stock Up: Hroniss Grasu

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The Bears drafted center Hroniss Grasu in the third round of this year's draft, and after being inactive for the team's first four games of the year, the former Oregon Duck got his first start of the season against the Chiefs in Week 5.

He struggled early in the game against Kansas City's Dontari Poe and allowed a sack that led to a Chiefs touchdown, but he settled in after the first quarter.

“That’s how you get better—you move on from plays like that,” Grasu said after the game regarding the sack he allowed, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley.

According to Pro Football Focus, Grasu allowed one sack and two quarterback hurries, but he received praise from teammate Matt Slauson after the game.

“Hroniss did really good. He balled," said Slauson, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. "He played confident. For your first start to see a guy like (Chiefs nose tackle Dontari) Poe and in a stadium like this on the road, I thought he did great.”

He struggled with the strength of Poe early in the game, but he was able to use his athleticism to his advantage as the game wore on.

Grasu is an agile center who did a great job of getting to the second level while at Oregon, but he still needs to get stronger in order to be a successful NFL center. His athleticism is a plus in the screen game because of his ability to get out in front, and he did a nice job of pulling on occasional run plays to the outside against Kansas City.

The young center wasn't perfect on Sunday, but he proved he has the ability to anchor the middle of an offensive line. With veteran Will Montgomery now on injured reserve, Grasu will get an opportunity to develop at the center position in the coming weeks.

Stock Down: Shea McClellin

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Inside linebacker Shea McClellin was a steady contributor in Chicago's first four games of the year, but he struggled at times against the Chiefs and eventually left the game with a knee injury.

McClellin struggled against Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles in the running game, and he had a hard time keeping up with tight end Travis Kelce in the passing game. 

According to Pro Football Focus, McClellin was targeted in the passing gave five times, and he gave up three catches for 48 yards—including a 26-yard completion to Charles.

He suffered a knee injury on the first play of the second half and was carted off the field.

“It sucked, man,” said linebacker Christian Jones about McClellin's injury, per Jahns. “I hope he’s fine. He’s our general out there.”

After McClellin left the game, LaRoy Reynolds stepped in for the former first-round pick. The Bears signed Reynolds on September 29, and the former Jacksonville Jaguar had never taken a snap in a 3-4 defense before Sunday.

Reynolds looked lost at times, but he made a couple of big plays against the run. He credited his teammates for helping him adjust out on the field.

“We’ve got a pretty good group and the guys were helping me on the sideline,” Reynolds said, per Biggs. “They were helping me with a lot of the calls. It’s still a learning process for me but this was a good opportunity to get out there and help the team.”

Fox was asked about McClellin's condition on Monday afternoon, but according to Finley, Fox said he would not give any details about the injury until Wednesday.

McClellin still finished Sunday's game with five tackles, but he struggled mightily for the first time this season. He did not make any big plays in the team's first four games of the season, but he was a steady contributor. 

If he is not able to play this Sunday against Detroit, Reynolds will likely get the start alongside Jones at inside linebacker.

Stock Up: Jay Cutler

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A week after moving the football down the field late in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning field-goal attempt by kicker Robbie Gould against the Raiders, Cutler one-upped himself against Kansas City.

With Chicago trailing 17-6 late in the game, Cutler played arguably his best quarter of football in a Bears uniform.

The veteran quarterback orchestrated two touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter and completed 11 of his 21 passing attempts for 114 yards. Cutler's first touchdown came on a 22-yard pass to Marquess Wilson in the corner of the end zone, and Wilson was impressed by the throw.

“That was an amazing throw,” Wilson said, per Adam Hoge of WGNRadio.com. “He put it exactly where it needed to be, right on the money. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that. He threw that before I even got out of my break.”

His touchdown pass to Wilson helped get the Bears to within five points of the Chiefs, and Chicago's defense did enough on Kansas City's next drive on offense to get the ball back in Cutler's hands with just over two minutes left on the clock.

Cutler did a nice job of moving up in the pocket during Chicago's final drive of the game, and he was able to find running back Matt Forte in the end zone on a six-yard touchdown pass. Cutler bobbled the shotgun snap from Grasu, but he recovered the ball and tossed a perfect pass to Forte off his back foot. 

The veteran quarterback finished the day with 252 passing yards, and he completed 26 of his 45 passing attempts and registered an 88.4 quarterback rating. Slauson had nothing but praise for his quarterback after the game.

"Yes, [this is the best I've seen Cutler look]," Slauson said Sunday, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. "He is super confident. His composure throughout the game is just unreal. Up front our communication was not always crisp. His composure through all of that was just amazing."

When healthy, Cutler has looked comfortable in offensive coordinator Adam Gase's system this season. His pocket presence has improved, and he has shown a willingness to step up to avoid pressure. He still struggles with his throwing mechanics and footwork at times, but he's been one of the best players on the field the last two weeks for the Bears.

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.