Chicago Bears Week 13 Stock Report

The Chicago Bears needed a victory in Week 12 to stay alive in the NFC playoff hunt, and they were able to come away with a surprising 17-13 win over the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night.

The win helped the Bears improve to 5-6 on the year, and head coach John Fox later admitted the victory has made the team relevant in the playoff chase.

“You only get 16 of these things, so obviously it was a big win, one on the road, against a division opponent, our first one, I think,” Fox said on Monday, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. “We kind of knew where we were. We fell behind where we wanted to be in win-loss record, so to be relevant, that was kind of a must-win, just like this week will be.”

The Bears will now try to get to .500 in the standings when they take on the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday at Soldier Field. Chicago and San Francisco have squared off 63 times dating back to 1950, and the 49ers hold a 32-30-1 record in the all-time series. The two teams last met in Week 2 of the 2014 season, and the Bears came away with a 28-20 victory on Sunday Night Football.

Impressive performances from Chicago's secondary and pass rush highlighted the team's victory over Green Bay, but one player took a big step back in Week 12.

Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling as the Bears prepare to take on the 49ers in Week 13?

Stock Up: Chris Prosinski

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Signed in late September to help bolster Chicago's special teams, safety Chris Prosinski was an unlikely hero last Thursday against the Packers.

A fourth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 out of Wyoming, Prosinski made nine starts between 2011 and 2013 before he was waived by Jacksonville after three games last season. The veteran defensive back played the final eight games of the 2014 season with the Philadelphia Eagles on special teams, but he was released by the team at the end of this preseason.

Prosinski made his Bears debut in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders on special teams, and he was thrust into the starting lineup in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos because of an injury to starter Antrel Rolle.

He struggled early against the Broncos, but he settled in as the game wore on and recorded six tackles and his first career sack against Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler. In Week 12 against the Packers, Prosinski came up big against both the run and the pass.

The Bears struggled early in the game to slow down Green Bay's Eddie Lacy before Prosinski was able to strip the football out of the young running back's hands early in the second quarter. The veteran safety knocked the ball out from behind, and outside linebacker Lamarr Houston was able to come away with the fumble recovery.

"Shoot. Pursuit from behind,” Prosinski said of his forced fumble, per ChicagoFootball.com's Arthur Arkush. “Obviously, just try to wrap up and get my arm on it. I felt right when I got contact, I felt the ball slip but I didn’t really see what happened until I saw the pile.” 

In addition to forcing a fumble, Prosinski also played well in the passing game. Late in the fourth quarter with the Packers charging down the field, the former Wyoming standout stepped in front of wide receiver Davante Adams and disrupted the timing on a passing route. With Adams just a step behind on his route, cornerback Tracy Porter was able to step in and record his first interception of the season.

Prosinski has filled in admirably for Rolle the last two weeks, and he could be in line to make his third straight start this Sunday if Rolle is unable to go.

Stock Down: Charles Leno

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Charles Leno took over for Jermon Bushrod at left tackle in Week 3 when the veteran offensive lineman went down with a concussion, and Leno has been the team's starter on the left side ever since.

Leno spent the majority of training camp and the preseason at right tackle, but he struggled in the running game and had issues in pass protection. The Bears opted to keep him on the 53-man roster, and he proved to be serviceable in his first few starts at left tackle.

Following a bad outing against the Detroit Lions in Week 6 in which he allowed five quarterback hurries and two quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus, he began to turn the page in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Leno played well against the San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams and Broncos between Week 9 and Week 11, but he struggled against the Packers on Thanksgiving night.

According to Pro Football Focus, the young tackle allowed one sack and three quarterback hurries against Green Bay. He struggled when the Packers sent defensive backs off the edge on blitzes, and he struggled up front against defensive lineman Mike Neal.

Leno has the potential to be a quality starting left tackle in the NFL because of his athleticism and footwork, but he needs to get stronger at the point of attack. He has a tendency to lunge at defenders instead of engaging with them, but he has proven at times this season he can handle his own against some of the league's best edge-rushers.

On Sunday against the 49ers, Leno will see his fair share of outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, and he will be tested by Lynch's speed and athleticism. Leno has made big strides this season on the left side of the offensive line, but he will need to bounce back in Week 13 after his poor performance against the Packers.

Stock Up: Willie Young

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An Achilles injury derailed Willie Young's strong first season in Chicago in 2014, and the former Detroit Lion was forced to move from defensive end to outside linebacker in the team's new 3-4 defense this offseason.

Young missed part of training camp due to his rehab, but he was able to play in three of Chicago's four preseason games. He was used sparingly on defense in the first seven games of the season, but he has been a major contributor on defense for the Bears in the last four weeks.

After recording four tackles and one sack against the Broncos in Week 11, Young had another solid game against the Packers in Week 12. The veteran edge-rusher finished the game with three tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits and five quarterback hurries in 60 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Moving to outside linebacker has not been the smoothest of transitions for Young, but the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns thinks Young is on the right track.

"Question Willie Young's fit in the Bears defense if you want. But he's been solid. His ability to handle his coverage duties stood out versus Green Bay," Jahns tweeted.

Young has looked fluid when dropping into coverage in recent weeks, but he is still at his best when asked to pin his ears back and go after the quarterback. While he spends the majority of his time rushing the quarterback out of a two-point stance, he has occasionally rushed out of a three-point stance in obvious passing situations this season.

Young is not an ideal fit as an outside linebacker, but he has been making the most of his opportunities in recent weeks and will play a big role on Sunday against the 49ers.

Stock Up: Alshon Jeffery

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Injuries have slowed down wide receiver Alshon Jeffery this season, but there is no denying how important he is to Chicago's offense when he is on the field.

After making five catches for 78 yards in the regular-season opener against the Packers, Jeffery missed the team's next four games due to injuries.

He caught eight passes for 147 yards with one touchdown in Week 6 against Detroit, and he followed that up with back-to-back 10-catch performances against the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers. Jeffery caught just three passes for 23 yards against the Rams in Week 10 before missing Chicago's Week 11 contest against Denver.

Jeffery returned to the field in Week 12 against the Packers, and he finished the game with a team-high seven catches for 90 yards.

Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei noted Jeffery's impact after the game.

"It was a different game with Alshon Jeffery on the field. Again," Pompei tweeted.

Even when Jeffery has not been 100 percent this season, his presence alone has dictated coverage and opened up opportunities for young receivers like Marquess Wilson, Marc Mariani and Josh Bellamy down the field. 

The former second-round pick possesses some of the best hands in the game, and he did a great job of going up to get the football over Green Bay's cornerbacks on Thanksgiving night. In addition to what he can do with his hands, Jeffery also showed off his ability to pick up yards after the catch in Week 12.

Early in the fourth quarter on second down, quarterback Jay Cutler hit Jeffery to the left of the formation on a screen pass on the outside, and the fourth-year receiver picked up 22 yards on the catch-and-run. 

Jeffery has played in just six games this season, but he leads the team in receiving yards with 605, is second in receptions with 43 and is third in receiving touchdowns with two. If Jeffery is able to play on Sunday against the 49ers, he has a chance to put up big numbers against a defense that is allowing the 28th-most passing yards per game this season with 276.8.

Stock Up: Tracy Porter and Kyle Fuller

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Tracy Porter recorded his first interception of the season on Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving night, Porter stole the show with his solid play against the pass, but fellow cornerback Kyle Fuller also had a strong performance.

Porter made two of the biggest plays of the game in Week 12 by intercepting Rodgers late in the fourth quarter and knocking the ball out of James Jones' hands in the end zone with just seconds remaining on the clock, and he finished the contest with one tackle and four passes defended.

According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran cornerback was targeted 11 times by Rodgers, and he allowed just two catches for a total of 14 yards. On the other side of the field, Fuller was targeted twice, and he did not allow a reception.

Fuller struggled at the beginning of the season, but he has shown improvement on a weekly basis. According to Pro Football Focus' Ben Stockwell, Fuller has been one of the NFL's best cornerbacks since Week 2.

"Since Week 2, Fuller is among the 10 highest-graded corners in the NFL, having conceded fewer than 200 yards on 43 targets in that spell," Stockwell wrote. "The Bears will hope that more games like this prove to be the launch point of a stellar career from last year’s first-round pick."

It took some time for Fuller to adapt to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme, but he has played aggressively both at the line of scrimmage and when the football has been in the air. He has also been a solid tackler and is not afraid to play up against the run. 

On the other side of the field, Porter took over as the starter opposite of Fuller in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, and he has quietly become a lockdown cornerback on the outside.

Porter has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has bounced around the league in recent years, but Fox praised Porter's desire to push himself to get better.

"Tracy realized where he was in his career and he made a 100 percent buy-in effort to change the arc and keep it going," Fox said, per the Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer. "When you get released and you've been fired from a few different jobs, you can look around and blame a lot of people. But eventually, you look in the mirror and say, 'It might be me. What can I do to change that?'"

Porter and Fuller have not received much praise outside the city of Chicago for their efforts against the pass, but their play on the outside this season has helped the Bears become the second-best passing defense in the league. In 11 games this year, Chicago's defense is allowing just 214.5 passing yards per game, second only to Denver's 197.1 yards per game.

Both Porter and Fuller played well against one of the league's best offenses on Thanksgiving, and they will have another chance to see their stock rise this Sunday when they go up against a San Francisco passing offense that is averaging just 198.4 passing yards per game this season—third-fewest in the NFL.

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.