Chicago Bears Week 16 Stock Report

The Chicago Bears dropped to 5-9 on the season following their Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and while the Bears have done a good job of staying competitive in games in 2015 compared to last season, head coach John Fox does not think his team has shown much improvement.

“We just haven’t improved,” Fox said after the game on Sunday, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns. “We’re going to keep marching forward and find guys that we think can be part of our core going forward.”

Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee echoed Fox's sentiments.

“I feel like we took a step back,” McPhee said, per Jahns. “I felt like at the Green Bay game [on Thanksgiving night], we won the Super Bowl, but not in my [expletive] case. I think we were just getting started."

Sunday's loss dashed Chicago's already slim playoff chances, and it is set to hit the road in Week 16 to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Chicago and Tampa Bay have met 55 times since 1977, and the Bears lead the all-time series with a 37-18 record. Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith was the head coach in Chicago from 2004 to 2012 and compiled an 81-63 record with the Bears. 

Tampa Bay dropped to 6-8 on the year following its loss to the St. Louis Rams on Thursday Night Football, and the Bucs are 3-4 at Raymond James Stadium this season.

The playoffs are out of reach for the Bears this year, but many players will be fighting for a chance to remain on the roster in 2016 in the final two games of 2015.

Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling as the Bears prepare to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16?

Stock Up: John Timu

Uncredited/Associated Press

On Sunday afternoon, former undrafted free agent John Timu got his first career start at inside linebacker.

Timu was all over the field to start the game, and he led the team with nine tackles and recorded one tackle for loss. He played well against the run, proved he has the athleticism to cover from sideline to sideline and he also played with a lot of intensity.

Jahns was impressed by Timu's performance.

"Bears rookie LB John Timu had an exceptional game. Had three tackles for loss—two were negated by penalties. Aggressive. Instinctual," tweeted Jahns on Monday.

According to Pro Football Focus, the former Washington Husky played 39 of the team's 63 snaps on defense and finished the game with a plus-1.1 overall grade and a plus-1.9 grade against the run. 

He split time with fellow undrafted rookie Jonathan Anderson on Sunday, but he was the most impressive inside linebacker on the field for the Bears in Week 15.

"I saw a guy who is instinctive. He's earned that opportunity and I think he did a pretty good job," said Fox on Monday, per the team's official Twitter account.

Timu was a bit shaky at times when asked to play against the pass, and according to Pro Football Focus, he was targeted twice by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and allowed one reception for 30 yards to backup running back Jerick McKinnon.

Despite his struggles against the pass, Timu earned praise from Fox and should get more opportunities in the final two games to prove himself. 

Stock Down: Alshon Jeffery

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Chicago's offense has looked drastically better this season when Alshon Jeffery has been on the field, but the fourth-year receiver struggled to make an impact against the Vikings.

Jeffery has struggled with a variety of injuries this season, and Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei noted how that has affected Chicago's offense this year.

"Alshon Jeffery has been listed as questionable 10 times in 15 games. That has affected everything the Bears have tried to do offensively," tweeted Pompei.

The former second-round pick entered Sunday's game with 53 catches for 797 yards and three touchdowns in just eight games, but he finished the contest with just one catch for 10 yards with one touchdown. He was targeted five times by quarterback Jay Cutler, but his one catch on Sunday was his lowest total of the season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jeffery played just 30 of the team's snaps on Sunday and was limited in the second half with a hamstring injury.

“We’ve had some practice [dealing with injuries to Jeffery]. I don’t know if that’s a good thing,” Fox said about Jeffery's hamstring, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. “We’ll evaluate him. He got treatment on Monday. I’m sure he’ll get treatment on Tuesday. So we’ll evaluate him and see what his availability is on Wednesday.”

Jeffery struggled to create separation off the line of scrimmage, and the Vikings did a nice job of bringing a safety over the top to slow him down in the passing game.

The former South Carolina Gamecock is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Bears will need to decide whether they want to offer him a long-term deal or use the franchise tag on him this offseason so he can prove he can stay healthy for a full year.

Stock Up: Robbie Gould

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

After missing key field goals against the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins in back-to-back weeks, kicker Robbie Gould returned to form on Sunday against Minnesota.

The veteran placekicker attempted just one field goal, but he nailed a 51-yard attempt and made both of his extra points. His 51-yard field goal was his sixth field goal made over 50 yards this season, which ties a career high, per Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com.

After making his first 17 field-goal attempts this season, Gould made just nine of 15 attempts before nailing his only try on Sunday.

Before Sunday's game, special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers said he was still confident in Gould, per Jahns:

"

Robbie is such a stud when it comes to being a student of the game. He knows himself very well. He knows his tape. He knows his history. He knows sometimes the things that he’s got to go back to fundamentally. He studies other kickers. There’s very few things that he can do more — and I wouldn’t even know what they were — than what he’s already done.

"

In addition to making his only field-goal attempt, Gould also had a successful onside kick recovered to start the second half. The successful onside kick recovery by Chicago was the first of Gould's 11-year career.

Making one field goal and having a successful onside kick in Week 15 does not mean Gould is a lock to remain with the team in 2016, but a couple of strong showings in the last two games of the season could help him hold onto his job for at least another year.

Stock Down: Alan Ball

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Veteran cornerback Alan Ball signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Bears this offseason and was expected to be a starter opposite of second-year man Kyle Fuller on the outside, but he struggled at the beginning of the season with both his performance and injuries and was later replaced by veteran Tracy Porter.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ball has played just 31 snaps on defense since Week 10 against the St. Louis Rams, including just six snaps on Sunday against the Vikings. 

Even though Ball only played six snaps in Week 15, he was targeted once in the passing game and gave up a 33-yard touchdown to rookie receiver Stefon Diggs, per Pro Football Focus. The veteran defensive back struggled to bring Diggs down in the open field and was eventually dragged into the end zone for the touchdown.

"Porter passed Diggs off as Diggs ran across formation. CB Alan Ball was slow to react and Diggs outran him, then dragged him into end zone," tweeted the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell at the time.

Ball was only used in the team's dime package on Sunday afternoon, and he proved in his limited snaps why he has not played much this season. He appeared to be a guy the Bears would be able to lean on this year on the outside, but he has been a disappointment in 2015.

Stock Up: Mitch Unrein

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

After spending time with the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers since entering the league in 2010, defensive lineman Mitch Unrein has seemingly found a home in Chicago this season.

He signed with the Bears just before Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, and he has played 333 snaps on defense this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Unrein has started at right defensive end in Chicago's last three games, and on Sunday against Minnesota, he was credited with one quarterback hurry in 46 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. 

The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs was impressed by Unrein's performance against the Vikings.

"Bears DL Mitch Unrein was credited with five tackles after coaches review of film. He had his best game of season. Nice block on kickoff return, too," Biggs tweeted.

While Chicago's defensive line struggled all afternoon to get a push off the ball, Unrein played well against Minnesota starting left tackle Matt Kalil. He did not light up the stat sheet with big numbers, but he helped take up space and opened up opportunities for Chicago's linebackers to make plays against the run.

Unrein signed a one-year deal worth $745,000 in September, and his play in recent weeks could earn him a larger deal this offseason. He has been used primarily as a defensive end this year, but he is versatile enough to move inside to nose tackle and has played seven snaps on offense this year as a fullback, according to Pro Football Focus.

The former Wyoming standout is not a flashy player, but he is a consistent contributor against both the run and the pass and has proven to be a great fit in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme.

Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.