Studs and duds for Bears through first quarter of 2021 NFL season
For all intents and purposes, we’ve reached the first quarter of the 2021 NFL season and the Chicago Bears are hovering around the middle of the pack. At 2-2, they’re currently second in the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers and would theoretically be “in the hunt” for a playoff spot if the season ended today.
In just four games, there’s been a little bit of everything when it comes to the individual performances. For example, we’ve seen dominant defensive performances that led to turnovers on three straight plays, and we’ve seen offensive outputs so horrendous that it set the game of football back 95 years.
But who were those individuals responsible for the good and the bad? Here are our studs and duds for the Bears through the first quarter of the season.
STUD: RB David Montgomery
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The team’s offensive MVP after four games is David Montgomery and it’s not particularly close. The bruising running back picked up right where he left off last season, eclipsing 100 yards rushing in two of the Bears’ first four games. The offense ran through No. 32 and he currently ranks fifth in the league with 309 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately Montgomery will miss some time after going down with a knee sprain against the Detroit Lions and his presence on the field will be missed.
DUD: TE Cole Kmet
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Like Montgomery, Cole Kmet had a strong end to the 2020 season. Unlike Montgomery, it hasn’t translated to production in 2021. The sophomore tight end has been busy in the run-blocking game, but has been a non-factor in the passing attack. Kmet has just eight catches for 59 yards through four games, which would put him on pace for around 34 receptions for 250 yards for the year. Kmet’s seeing the field, but he’s not being targeted by the quarterbacks and when he is, he can’t seem to keep his footing. With Justin Fields officially taking over as starting quarterback, things might change, but Kmet has been a clear disappointment so far.
STUD: WR Darnell Mooney
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Could we be seeing the emergence of a new WR1 for the Bears? Darnell Mooney is making his case for that title after his start to the 2021 season. Mooney has 17 receptions for 226 yards on 26 targets, all of which lead the team. He had his best game as a pro last weekend when he popped off for 125 yards on five catches, finding every deep ball Fields threw to him in the 24-14 win over the Lions. Mooney is becoming the go-to target for Fields and could be in for a monster season moving forward. His route running is crisp, his separation from defenders is elite, and his hands are money. The second-year receiver has the makings to be great and he’s beginning to show that.
DUD: TE Jimmy Graham
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I feel kind of bad picking on both tight ends, but I calls them like I sees them. Jimmy Graham has been reduced to an expensive role player who isn’t even being asked to play said role. He had one catch for 11 yards in the team’s opening loss against the Los Angeles Rams and hasn’t done a thing since. He’s been targeted just three times in four total games and is averaging just over 16 snaps per game. Graham, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal last offseason, was the go-to player in the redzone in 2020, scoring eight touchdowns. he has none in 2021 and it could be awhile until he sees the endzone again.
STUD: EDGE Robert Quinn
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If Robert Quinn keeps this up, he may be considered for NFL Comeback Player of the Year at the end of the season. The veteran pass rusher is showing everyone that he still has plenty left in the tank and that maybe last year’s lack of production really was because of an injury. Quinn already has 4.5 sacks on the season, more than twice the amount he had in 2020 all together. He also had 14 total tackles, just six shy of his 2020 total as well. He’s made tackles look silly by blowing past them and creating the dynamic duo with Khalil Mack that Bears fans dreamed of when he signed for $30 million guaranteed last year.
DUD: NT Eddie Goldman
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A tumultuous offseason for Eddie Goldman carried into the regular season and now finally seems to be behind him. But for the team’s first three games, Goldman couldn’t get on the field. The Bears starting nose tackle opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. Goldman was expected to be back, but rumors surfaced about him possibly wanting to retire. Fortunately, those were unfounded and Goldman returned, only to suffer a knee injury just prior to the regular season opener. He sat out three games and finally returned last weekend, but didn’t record a single statistic. Goldman still needs to get his legs under him and could rebound, but it hasn’t been the best start for the talented run stuffer.
STUD: DC Sean Desai
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There are so many defensive players worthy of this spot, like Mack, Roquan Smith, and Jaylon Johnson. But let’s give defensive coordinator Sean Desai his due. He’s got his unit playing inspired football and they’re responding with key takeaways, something we haven’t seen since in three years. The Bears are tied for seventh in takeaways with six and lead the league in sacks with 15. Desai said things the defense would look like 2018 again and he’s fulfilling that prediction.
DUD: S Eddie Jackson
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Though Desai has worked his magic on the defense as a whole, Eddie Jackson is still struggling to recapture that 2018 magic. Jackson was burned from the jump in Week 1 against the Rams and though he played a bit better against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, he’s still having issues with tackling and coverage through four games. Jackson does have a forced fumble that kickstarted the turnover parade against the Bengals, but he’s held to a higher standard given his four-year, $33 million guaranteed contract he signed last offseason. Jackson’s supposed to be the eraser in the secondary, making up for mistakes over the top of the defense. Instead he’s more like a gel pen; once a hot commodity, but now known for being a flashy mess.
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