The Chicago Bears had a roller-coaster day up in Detroit. They went in with high hopes, only to see them almost completely dashed. After three quarters, the game looked over. The Lions held a 23-6 lead, Mitch Trubisky was lost, and even the defense seemed to have no answers for Matthew Stafford and Adrian Peterson. Then things just started happening.
The defense stiffened and the offense started to come out of their funk. In the space of less than 15 minutes, Trubisky delivered three touchdown passes in a spirited 27-23 comeback. Obviously most of the attention is heaped on him for that. Which is fair. However, it should not be discounted how big of a role the Bears 2020 draft class played in this win.
Probably the star of the group was Jaylon Johnson. Named the starting cornerback opposite Kyle Fuller, the rookie really stepped up in his debut. While there were some rough spots, the 2nd round pick’s coverage stood out consistently. He almost had an interception early in the game and knocked away the Lions’ final attempt of the game to seal the win.
Wanna take another look at the final play? Us too.#CHIvsDET | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/YLNAPV4kMV
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 13, 2020
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Johnson wasn’t the only Chicago Bears rookie to stand out though
Another name people were surprised by was Darnell Mooney. A 5th round pick out of Tulane, he reportedly had a strong training camp. Expectations were he’d have a role to play in the offense. Sure enough, he made three catches on the afternoon for 38 yards including one for 19. His quickness and speed were evident. He should be fun to watch as he gains more experience.
Then there was Cole Kmet. Most will think he had a down day because he failed to make a catch at tight end. In truth though, he was a big help to the offense as a blocker. Trubiskyw as sacked just one time on the afternoon and that was primarily his fault. Chicago also ran the ball extremely well, racking up 149 yards at 5.32 per carry.
Considering these young men had no OTAs, no minicamps and no preseason? It was unreasonable to expect much from them so early. The fact they contributed so much is a great sign for the future of this team.
