Chicago Bears: Biggest Winners and Losers from Friday's Game vs. Giants

After the Chicago Bears played so well last week against the Washington Redskins, the first half against the New York Giants on Friday left fans scratching their heads and searching for answers. 

At times, the team looked amazing. Between Devin Hester reverses and Craig Steltz tackles for loss,  Bears fans had reason to get on their feet and believe that this team was going to win it all.

Then there were the plays that had fans telling themselves that it was just a preseason game and meant nothing. 

When it was all said and done for the Bears, there were winners and losers. They're all right here.

Winner: Craig Steltz

Steltz made a legitimate case to be inserted into a starting role at safety.

While he may have been called for a penalty for a "late hit" early in the game, Steltz also seemed to be all over the field, laying hit after hit on the Giants.

Steltz also had a tackle-for-loss when the Giants tried to hand the ball off and gain a few yards on the ground.

Steltz showed that he can perform well and handle playing on the first team against some of the best teams in the NFL. If he continues on this path, there is no reason that he shouldn't be starting Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts, or at least in consideration for it.

Loser: J'Marcus Webb

J'Marcus Webb took a step backward in his competition for the starting job at left tackle. He struggled in the first half to stop the fierce rush of the Giants and their dominating defensive line.

While he may have been going up against one of the best defensive ends in the NFL in Osi Umenyiora, Webb looked slow and sluggish off the line. He was beaten off the line several times, which had quarterback Jay Cutler on the run.

Webb needs to realize that the Bears have a legitimate shot at reaching and even winning the Super Bowl. If he wants to be a starter, Webb needs to get his act together and worry less about his "J Webb Nation" Twitter followers and more about the quality of his play. If not, he may have much less to talk  about from the bench.

Winner: Brandon Marshall

It's no secret that Brandon Marshall has a lot of pressure on him.

Much like when Chicago traded for quarterback Jay Cutler, there was a lot of buzz about Marshall when the Bears acquired him from Miami.

Marshall is the face of this offense. His arrival not only improves the play of Cutler, but also of the entire offense, as teams have to spread defenders to cover the run as well as the pass. 

Friday in New York, Marshall caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown catch, by the way, was one of five 3rd-down conversions the Bears had in the first half.

Marshall showed again on Friday why he will be a leader of this Bears team. He can be counted on to catch the ball in clutch situations and will prove to be a huge acquisition. 

Loser: Nick Roach

Nick Roach is no Brian Urlacher.

Roach was forced to start in the middle on Friday in place of the injured Urlacher, who is still recovering from his most recent knee surgery. Roach is used to playing on the outside, where Geno Hayes took over for him in the starting role.

Nobody is expecting Roach to play as well as Urlacher. The shoes that Urlacher left were incredibly big and would be tough for anyone to fill. However, with the season opener on September 9th coming closer and closer, and Urlacher looking like he may not be able to make it back in time for the game against the Colts, Roach may be forced to play in his position, a job he didn't do so well Friday night.

Roach just seemed to lack the mental awareness as well as physical speed that Urlacher has and uses to intimidate opposing teams every time he lines up against them. It seemed that Eli Manning and the New York Giants attacked the middle of the field Friday night in putting up 17 first-half points.

If Roach wants to continue playing middle linebacker and eventually take over for Urlacher, he is going to have to show more than he did on Friday.

Winner: Julius Peppers

By now, Julius Peppers is expected to play well at defensive end. On Friday in New York, Peppers played exceptionally well.

Peppers was all over the field, recording one tackle for a loss. On the very next play, he chased down a player and made a tackle in the secondary. 

Last season, Peppers recorded 11 sacks, but that number doesn't do justice to how well he played while being double-teamed almost every play.

This season, with Israel Idonije and Shea McClellin on the opposite side of the field from him, Peppers can expect to see a lot more one-on-one activity. If he continues to play the way that he has this preseason, you can expect a lot more sacks and big plays from him this season.

Loser: Devin Hester

Hear me out on this one.

Devin Hester started this preseason as a highly regarded wide receiver, and it looked as though this was finally going to be his breakout season. Since then, he has done a bit to improve his offensive play, but it seems as though his special-teams play has taken a hit.

Hester was once again tackled as he tried to run backward on a punt return, and the team could be getting fed up with it.

After getting return specialist Eric Weems in the offseason, it seems as though the Bears wouldn't hesitate to use him him as punt returner and see how he does. If he gets more than two yards a return, he'll do better than Hester did Friday night in New York. 

Winner: Armando Allen

Armando Allen was fighting with Kahlil Bell for a spot on the team's final 53-man roster. Friday in New York, he showed the Bears why they picked the right man for the job.

Let's face it, with Matt Forte and Michael Bush guaranteed to make the final roster, there isn't going to be a whole lot of time for a third-string running back. So when Bell was cut Thursday or allegedly refusing to take a pay cut, it meant that Allen was going to get to see more of the field on Friday, and, boy, did he show up.

While Allen may only have had 11 rushing yards on five carries, he also caught four passes for 31 yards, good enough for the second-most receiving yards by a Bear.

We all know the Bears like to use running backs in different ways. Allen showing that he can turn a screen pass into a huge gain is definitely going to catch the attention of offensive coordinator Mike Tice.

Allen showed on Friday why he deserves to make the final roster, or at least make the final preseason game, a feat that Bell could not accomplish.

Loser: Replacement Refs

With each week that comes and goes, one question remains for NFL coaches, players and fans; When can the real refs get back to work?

Since the referees began their holdout, everyone has been worried about whether the quality of play would be affected by the replacement refs. The answer? Absolutely.

In Friday's game alone, we saw two false-start calls on quarterbacks, pass interference calls that never should have been called (like the one called against Charles Tillman) and the dubious late-hit call on Craig Steltz, who appeared to only touch an opposing player as he ran out of bounds. 

However, perhaps the most bizarre call was when the refs allowed an un-timed down at the end of the first quarter. Normally, this can only happen if the coach of the opposite team calls for it. However, Tom Coughlin never called for it, and the resulting play left everyone, even the announcers, scratching their heads.

After Friday's game, everyone is just wondering: When will the regular referees return and allow everyone to back to playing the game and not worrying that they will get called for ticky-tack calls?