Chicago Bears Week 12 Stock Report

There is no time for the Chicago Bears to dwell on their Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos, as they are set to head to Green Bay on a short week to take on the Packers on Thanksgiving night.

The Bears dropped to 4-6 on the season after falling to the Broncos 17-15 at Soldier Field on Sunday, and they will take on a Packers team that improved to 7-3 on the year after breaking a three-game losing streak against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.

Thursday's game will be Chicago's 34th appearance on Thanksgiving dating back to 1920, and the team has compiled a 16-15-2 record on Turkey Day. Thursday will also be Chicago and Green Bay's 192nd all-time meeting, and the Bears lead the all-time series with a 93-92-6 record.

The two teams last met back in Week 1 at Soldier Field, and Green Bay came away with a 31-23 victory. Chicago's chances of making the playoffs are slim, but the team has not been eliminated from the postseason. A win against the Packers on Thursday night will be difficult, but it could be a launching point for a team trying to stay alive in the playoff hunt.

Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling as the Bears head to Green Bay for their Thanksgiving showdown with the Packers on Thursday night?

Stock Up: Tracy Porter

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The cornerback corps struggled to find its rhythm early in the season for the Bears, but the group has shown improvement over the last couple of games due in large part to the play of veteran Tracy Porter.

Porter signed a one-year deal with the Bears this offseason, but he struggled with injuries during training camp and the preseason. He missed the first two games of the year before making his Bears debut in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks. A week later, Porter started opposite of Kyle Fuller at cornerback over Alan Ball, and he has been one of the team's starters on the outside ever since.

According to Pro Football Focus, Porter was targeted three times by Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler in the passing game on Sunday, but the veteran cornerback did not allow a catch. 

Porter has often shadowed the opposition's best wide receiver this season, and he has recorded 18 tackles and six pass deflections this year. He is physical at the line of scrimmage, and he is not afraid to play aggressively once the football is in the air.

“He’s done a good job for us,” said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio about Porter earlier this year, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Potash. “He’s played his position well both from a mental and physical standpoint. He’s done a good job of covering, and he’s brought a nice experience influence to the team.”

Talent has never been an issue for Porter in his career, but he has been plagued by injuries since entering the league in 2008 with the New Orleans Saints. He has only played in all 16 games once in his career—back in 2013 with the Oakland Raiders—and while he struggled with injuries during the offseason and the first two weeks of the regular season, Porter has played in every game since Week 3.

If Porter can continue to stay healthy and produce on the field like he has up to this point in the season, he could be in line for a big payday this offseason.

Stock Down: Pat O'Donnell

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Teams rarely invest a draft pick on a punter in today's NFL, but the Bears did just that in the sixth round of the 2014 draft.

Former general manager Phil Emery selected Miami's Pat O'Donnell with the 191st overall pick in last year's draft. The rookie punter averaged 43.8 yards on 71 punts last year and was named to the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie team after the season.

O'Donnell has punted 41 times this season and is averaging 45.1 yards per punt, but he struggled on Sunday against the Broncos. He punted four times in Week 11 and averaged just 34.3 yards per punt.

The young specialist has been an average punter throughout the season, but he has made critical mistakes at times this year. 

O'Donnell was able to salvage a low snap as the holder on a Robbie Gould field-goal attempt early in the game, but he will need to show improvement in the coming weeks as a punter if he wants to keep his job behind this season.

Stock Up: Marquess Wilson

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Injuries have plagued starting wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal this season, but third-year man Marquess Wilson has shown flashes of his potential in their absence.

Wilson has had an up-and-down season in 2015, but he showed on Sunday he has the ability to be a difference-maker in the passing game. He was targeted seven times by quarterback Jay Cutler in Week 11, and he came away with four catches for a career-high 102 yards. Two of Wilson's catches went for 29 yards, while another catch went for 40 yards.

The young receiver has struggled to create separation off the line of scrimmage this season, but he has shown improvement in recent weeks.

"Credit to Marquess Wilson though. He is making steady improvement," tweeted Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei.

After struggling to get on the field in his rookie season in 2013, Wilson appeared to be a perfect fit as the team's No. 3 receiver behind Jeffery and Brandon Marshall last year. A clavicle injury in training camp forced him to miss the team's first nine games in 2014, and he finished his sophomore season with 17 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown.

Wilson has been active for all 10 of Chicago's games this season, and he has recorded 24 catches for 420 yards with one touchdown. Sunday against Denver, he did a good job of coming back to the football once it was in the air, and one of his 29-yard receptions came against Denver's top cornerback, Aqib Talib.

With Jeffery and Royal's status for Thursday night up in the air after both missed Sunday's game against Denver, Wilson could have a chance to build off his strong performance against a Packers defense that is allowing 254.6 passing yards per game this year.

Stock Down: Patrick Omameh

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Patrick Omameh started all 16 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season at right guard, but the Bucs released the former Michigan Wolverine before the start of this season. The Bears signed the young lineman on September 6, and he started his fourth game of the season on Sunday against the Broncos.

Omameh filled in for starting left guard Matt Slauson in Week 4 after an injury to center Will Montgomery forced Slauson to man the middle of the offensive line, and Omameh has been the team's starter at right guard since Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.

According to Pro Football Focus, Omameh allowed one sack and one quarterback hit in Week 11, and he struggled against Denver defensive lineman Derek Wolfe.

"Not a good set of downs for right guard Patrick Omameh against Derek Wolfe," tweeted the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell early in the game on Sunday. "Leaned too far forward and was off balance on the sack."

Omameh got caught bending at his waist when Wolfe used a swim move off the snap of the ball, and the young offensive lineman was unable to regain his balance in time to offset Wolfe's rush.

The Bears were able to find success at times carrying the ball behind Omameh in the running game because of his strength and athleticism, but he struggled with consistency throughout the afternoon.

Omameh is an overall upgrade over former starting guard Vladimir Ducasse because of his athleticism, but he needs to become more consistent in the running game and improve his technique in pass protection in order for the offense to function at a high level on a weekly basis.

Stock Up: Bruce Gaston

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Bruce Gaston entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of Purdue with the Arizona Cardinals, and he spent time with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins before landing in Green Bay this offseason.

Gaston played two games with the Packers earlier this year before the Bears signed him off the practice squad back in October. He made his Bears debut in Week 9 against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football, and he is quickly becoming a reliable contributor along Chicago's defensive line.

After recording one tackle against San Diego and two tackles against the St. Louis Rams, Gaston finished Sunday's game against the Broncos with four tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and one quarterback sack.

On his first career sack early in the first half, Gaston manhandled former All-Pro guard Evan Mathis at the line of scrimmage. 

"Straight power rush from Bruce Gaston," tweeted CBSChicago.com's Dan Durkin. "Hands inside and violent strike to put Evan Mathis on his backside."

Injuries have forced Gaston to receive more playing time in recent weeks, and Fangio was impressed with Gaston's progress after the team's Week 10 victory over the Rams.

"He's coming and developing within the system, learning it, being more comfortable with what we're doing, and his play reflected that the other night,” Fangio said, per Nate Atkins of ChicagoFootball.com.

Gaston is a strong lineman who has the ability to anchor against the run, and he showed against Mathis on Sunday he also possesses burst off the ball. He uses his hands well and is versatile enough to play both inside at nose tackle and outside at defensive end. 

The former Purdue Boilermaker is still developing in Fangio's system, but he is proving he can be a reliable defensive lineman against both the run and the pass.

Statistical information 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.