Winners and Losers of Chicago Bears' Week 5 Performance
Though the scoreboard didn't say it, the Chicago Bears emerged winners from a Week 5 Monday Night Football game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Bears lost a close encounter against the NFC North foe, 20-17, but gained something much more important in the process: Affirmation the plan is working.
Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky—the focal point of one of the NFL's most extensive rebuilds—looked solid in his first pro start, flashing the arm and mobility necessary to win games for the team once it all comes together.
It didn't Monday, but so it goes for a team that just underwent arguably the biggest roster turnover of the offseason and might be headed for another after this year.
After a positive start, even in a loss, let's take a look at the biggest winners and losers of the week.
Loser: Markus Wheaton
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New quarterback, same result for Markus Wheaton.
Meant to shore up Chicago's issues at wideout in tandem with other arrivals and risers such as Cameron Meredith, Wheaton saw five targets through two games entering Monday and had zero catches.
Against the Vikings, Trubisky targeted Wheaton four times and received one catch and nine yards for the effort. The wide receiver also got hit with a holding flag on a 42-yard Jordan Howard touchdown.
To be fair, Wheaton is still getting his feet under him after battling an injury. But he has yet to deliver much of anything despite there being ample opportunity on what might be the worst wideout corps in the league.
Now Wheaton might have to watch Tre McBride take advantage of the opportunities instead in the coming weeks.
Winner: Zach Miller
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Don't count out tight end Zach Miller just yet.
It didn't make any sense to see Miller receive a combined five targets over his prior two games entering Monday's contest, particularly given the injury woes to wideout and the fact a tight end can provide such a critical safety net for a quarterback.
The Bears seemed to correct these issues against the Vikings, with Trubisky looking Miller's way seven times. He only caught three of those for 39 yards and a score, but the usage suggests the rookie-led offense will prioritize the weapons capable of making the biggest difference.
Miller himself had quite the telling quote about Trubisky after the game, too, according to Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
After coming up big Monday, Miller should have a major role as the season progresses.
Loser: Dion Sims
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Dion Sims is the other side of the coin.
One of the league's best blocking tight ends joined the team via free agency and it was a point of hype for fans because Sims had made strides as a receiver a year ago with the Miami Dolphins.
Through five games, Sims has four catches on nine targets.
The 26-year-old had an ugly drop Monday against the Vikings, prompting this statement from Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times: "If tight end Dion Sims isn't going to catch the ball for the Bears, it's time to play Adam Shaheen more. Overdue at this point."
Trubisky looked to Sims four times and the veteran tight end caught one of those chances. He's valuable as a blocker, but if second-round pick Adam Shaheen can hold his own in the trenches, he might end up being more useful to the offense.
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Winner: Kendall Wright
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Along the same lines as Miller, it seems the Bears coaching staff realizes Kendall Wright is the best receiver on the team.
Wright, brought on this offseason and receiving hype because of his past connections with offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, had an up-and-down start to his Bears tenure, receiving as many as 10 targets in a game and as few as getting blanked outright.
Against the Vikings, the 27-year-old wound up leading the team in receiving, catching four of his five targets for 46 yards. He wasn't the most targeted player, but Wright falling behind a tight end in targets with a rookie under center classifies as expected.
Maybe Wright doesn't post a 1,000-yard season as he did under Loggains in the past, but he did well to find room against a strong Minnesota defense and help along a rookie. Expect to see more of it in the coming weeks, barring an odd turn of events from the coaching staff.
Loser: The Secondary
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The new-look secondary trotted out by the Bears has yet to record an interception through five weeks.
For shame, too, because a turnover would have worked wonders against the Vikings, especially with quarterback Sam Bradford looking like he wasn't fully recovered from an injury before the Vikings made a change.
Granted, the Bears didn't sacrifice too much through the air, permitting 141 yards and a score on an average of 5.5 yards per completion. But a big play from the secondary could have swung the game in a different direction.
It doesn't help the Bears can't escape the injury bug. Marcus Cooper couldn't go against the Vikings, and the team recently lost veteran safety Quintin Demps for the season.
The Bears will have to hope the health of the secondary remains as is before they can start thinking about swinging some games with major plays, especially once they encounter tougher quarterbacks.
Winner: Leonard Floyd
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The Bears needed somebody to step up with Willie Young out for the year, meaning the defense lost a key rotational rusher, not to mention yet another member of the linebacking corps as a whole.
Leonard Floyd rose to the occasion. Because of course he did.
The rookie, who learned as he went last year while tallying seven sacks over 12 games, recorded two against the Vikings on Monday. He was also just shy of the team lead in tackles with six total, not to mention four tackles for loss and three quarterback hits.
Oh, and he recorded a safety—like he did last year. No other Bears player has had one since 2011.
Quietly, Floyd is one of the most dangerous edge-rushers in the NFL. He made the point clear enough Monday by putting on a show when tasked with carrying a unit by himself.
Loser: John Fox
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Maybe the only person in the building at Halas Hall who doesn't win after Trubisky's strong showing is John Fox.
Fox is now 10-27 as head coach of the Bears and had another shrug-worthy showing Monday, making odd decisions in critical moments that shouldn't go unnoticed because a fake punt worked out the right way.
Even in what is clearly a rebuilding year, if Fox can't improve on last year's record despite a clearly better team, he likely isn't going to be given the benefit of the doubt next offseason.
And here's what makes Fox's performance so perplexing: He had extra time to prepare for this home game. Week 4 was a Thursday night game, giving him a nice break to prep for a Monday matchup the next week.
The Bears came up short against the Vikings, but the final record at the end of the season and the spoiling of Trubisky's debut is a stench Fox won't hide away easily.
Winner: Mitchell Trubisky
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Who else?
Trubisky came out poised from the opening snap. The stat line doesn't jump off the page; a 12-of-25 effort with 128 yards, one touchdown and interception will always look mediocre. But the film tells a different story, one where a 23-year-old player made his pro debut at home against an elite defense on prime time and kept his head above water.
Even Trubisky's first career pass was a casual dime to the sideline that many quarterbacks in the league right now couldn't hit so well.
The competition even saw what everyone else did, with someone such as Vikings safety Harrison Smith having praise for Trubisky after the game.
"You can tell he's definitely got some skills," Smith said, per Pro Football Weekly's Eric Edholm. "He's going to be a player."
Indeed. If it wasn't the composure, it was the speed while getting out of the pocket and the strong throws down the field the Bears hadn't tried all year.
Maybe the Bears don't win many more games this year, but it's clear they'll have a fun, future-minded slant to them as Trubisky learns on the fly with an erratic supporting cast around him.
All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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