Chicago Bears Week 14 Stock Report

The Chicago Bears were riding high heading into their Week 13 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers after knocking off the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night, but the Bears fell 26-20 to San Francisco in overtime at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon.

Chicago held San Francisco to just 294 yards of total offense on the day, but big plays by quarterback Blaine Gabbert near the end of regulation and in overtime sealed the victory for the 49ers.

The loss all but dashed Chicago's slim playoff hopes, but head coach John Fox said his team needs to continue to work to get better, per the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell:

"

One of the things I told the team today … we've been a resilient, hard-playing group. Sometimes we've just got to be better as far as our performance. Those are the things you practice every day. You work at them — regardless of what the position is — because you're competing against some pretty highly competitive people as well. We just try to keep getting better.

"

In six games at home this year, the Bears hold just a 1-5 record. However, they will look to notch just their second victory of the season at Soldier Field this Sunday when they take on the Washington Redskins.

The Bears and Redskins have met 48 times since 1932, and Washington leads the all-time series with a 24-23-1 record.

Washington is coming off a disappointing loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and the team is 0-5 on the road this season.

Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling as the Bears prepare to take on the Washington Redskins in Week 14?

Stock Up: Eddie Goldman

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Second-round pick Eddie Goldman struggled with consistency earlier this season, but he played one of his best games of the year on Sunday against San Francisco.

Mitch Unrein got the start at nose tackle in Week 13 over Goldman, but the former Florida State Seminole dominated at the line of scrimmage all afternoon and finished the game with three tackles and two sacks.

According to Pro Football Focus, Goldman played 37 of Chicago's 62 snaps on defense, and he recorded one quarterback hit, three quarterback hurries and finished with a season-high plus-4.0 overall grade.

Goldman showed off a combination of strength and explosiveness on both of his sacks against San Francisco, and he also did a nice job of anchoring the interior of the defensive line against the run. 

After the game, the young nose tackle received praise from veteran defensive end Jarvis Jenkins.

“You watch a young guy like that. They always talk about rookie walls and Eddie definitely hasn’t hit that,” Jenkins said, per Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. “I feel like his preparation in practice is just benefiting him in these games.”

Rookies often start to struggle late in the season because of the daily grind of the NFL, but Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei has been impressed with Goldman's progress.

"The rookie wall is starting to hit some first-year players. Eddie Goldman, meanwhile, is getting better," Pompei tweeted on Monday.

Because of the way he has played in recent weeks, Goldman has proven he can be a centerpiece in the middle of Chicago's defense for years to come.

Stock Down: Shea McClellin

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Shea McClellin has shown signs of life at inside linebacker this season after struggling to make a name for himself as a defensive end and outside linebacker in his first three NFL seasons, but the former first-round pick struggled against both the run and the pass in Week 13.

The former Boise State product led the Bears in tackles with nine, but the 49ers took advantage of his lack of coverage skills all afternoon.

According to Pro Football Focus, McClellin was targeted nine times in the passing game and allowed seven catches for 47 yards. The young linebacker allowed catches to six different receivers on the afternoon, and the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns thinks one reason why McClellin struggled was because his knee has not fully recovered from an injury he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year.

"[The] 49ers had Bears linebacker Shea McClellin on the move plenty in coverage. [McClellin's] left knee still a hindrance. Not breaking as well as earlier," Jahns tweeted.

McClellin has shown flashes of his potential and ability to stop the run this season, but he tends to overpursue ball-carriers on runs to the outside. He is at his best against runs up the middle, but teams are starting to take advantage of his struggles when he is asked to read and react to plays while moving laterally.

Against the pass, McClellin struggles with his technique and lacks the instincts needed to make breaks on the ball. He has been a reliable tackler in the open field this season, but it looked like San Francisco's game plan was to attack the young linebacker in the passing game throughout the afternoon.

McClellin is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the last four games of the season could be his last chance to prove he can be a starter at inside linebacker in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system.

Stock Up: The Running Game

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Veteran running back Matt Forte was starting to look like a forgotten man following the emergence of rookie Jeremy Langford in recent weeks, but the former Tulane standout looked like his old self in Week 13.

After gaining just 44 yards on 15 carries against the Packers on Thanksgiving, Forte carried the ball 21 times for 84 yards against the 49ers and scored his first rushing touchdown since Week 6 against the Detroit Lions. In addition to picking up big yards on the ground, Forte hauled in five catches for 39 yards.

Forte handled much of the load in the running game on Sunday, but Langford also carried the ball 12 times for 59 yards, while second-year man Ka'Deem Carey came in late in the game and picked up 17 yards on five carries and scored Chicago's go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

All three running backs were productive against the 49ers, and Forte admitted it is a good thing for all three backs to get touches.

“I’m pretty sure if it’d been just me with 30 or 40 carries, it would have been kind of tough to do that," said Forte, per Nate Atkins of ChicagoFootball.com. "The run is important because you get time of possession, you’re able to keep their offense off the field and you’re able to grind it out."

In Chicago's loss to San Francisco, all three running backs showed off their skill sets. Forte displayed his ability both between the tackles and outside of the tackles, Langford showcased his impressive footwork and acceleration and Carey proved he can pound the football between the tackles as a downhill runner.

With Forte in the final year of his contract, the Bears have been able to get good looks at both Langford and Carey in recent weeks.

If the team opts to move on from Forte after this season, Langford and Carey look like they have the ability to carry the load on offense in the running game, but Chicago could always keep the trio intact for next year after seeing how productive all three have been at times in 2015.

Stock Down: Robbie Gould

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Veteran kicker Robbie Gould connected on his first two field-goal attempts in Week 13, but he missed two key field goals in the second half, including a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.

"I feel terrible," Gould said after the game, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "I have a job to do, and I didn't do that today. I hit the ball really well in the first half. I had a lot of confidence going into the last two kicks. I just got quick on both of them. I rushed them; I hurried them. Both are the worst kicks I've had all year."

Gould made his first 17 field-goal attempts to start the year, but he has missed six of his last 15 attempts. The Bears changed long snappers following their victory over Green Bay, but Gould said new long snapper Patrick Scales did not play into his two misses.

"It didn't do anything," Gould said of the switch to Scales, per Mayer. "Those guys came in, worked really hard. [Holder] Pat [O'Donnell] did a great job. [Scales] has done it before in playoff games, in other games. He did a great job today. This one falls on me and on my shoulders. I feel bad for my teammates because I didn't do the job I was supposed to do."

The veteran kicker made just nine of his 12 field-goal attempts last season, but he appeared to be back on the right track earlier this year. 

After missing his first field goal of the season against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8, Gould missed two field goals against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football in Week 9. Before Sunday's contest against San Francisco, Gould had made his last seven field-goal attempts.

Fox said earlier this week that Gould's misses were just like any other mistakes in football.

“It’s like anything—it’s like missing a block, it’s like missing a pass, it’s like dropping a ball, giving up an explosive pass,” Fox said, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley. “That’s why you play the game. You go back to work and try and get better and perfect your craft. You move on to the next one.”

Gould has been stellar for the Bears in his career, but if he continues to struggle in the coming weeks, the team may have to entertain the idea of bringing in another kicker next offseason.

Stock Up: Bryce Callahan

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After going undrafted earlier this year, defensive back Bryce Callahan signed with the Bears after an impressive collegiate career at Rice.

The young cornerback made Chicago's 53-man roster out of training camp, but he was waived by the team after Week 2. Callahan was quickly signed to the Bears' practice squad and was promoted to the active roster for Chicago's Week 8 game against Minnesota. 

Callahan has solidified himself as the Bears' nickelback in recent weeks, and he has recorded 18 tackles and four passes defended in eight games this season. On Sunday against San Francisco, he saw his first career touchdown negated by a holding penalty.

Chicago used regular return man Marc Mariani as a decoy on a punt return early in the game that drew all the attention to his side of the field while Callahan sprinted down the field for a 65-yard touchdown. The play was eventually called back on a holding penalty against linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, but Callahan did pick up 34 yards on his first NFL return.

In addition to his strong punt return, Callahan made plays on defense.

According to Pro Football Focus, Callahan was targeted six times by Gabbert in the passing game, and he allowed just two catches for 10 yards. The young nickelback spent much of his afternoon matched up against one of the league's most physical receivers in Anquan Boldin, but he allowed just one catch to Boldin on five targets for four yards.

Opposing receivers have tried to play physically with Callahan out of the slot his year, but the former Rice Owl has stood his ground throughout the season. If he continues to play at a high level in the final four games of the year, Callahan should be able to secure the team's nickelback job for 2016.

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.