The Chicago Bears were outclassed by the Buffalo Bills in the second preseason game of the summer, and while the final score is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, there were some troubling signs from coach Matt Nagy’s team throughout the game.
The Bears’ special teams coverage units were atrocious, and the overall team tackling on defense was even worse. There were some concerns in pass protection, which is to be expected with the state of the team’s offensive tackles, and the first-team offense was dull.
Still, there were some good individual performances that warrant recognition, as well as some that were bad enough to be called out.
Here are the Bears’ Week 2 preseason studs and duds.
Stud: WR Rodney Adams
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Adams has been one of Chicago’s most consistent playmakers at training camp and he’s been equally impressive through two preseason games. He may have secured his place on the final roster with an impressive 73-yard touchdown catch from Andy Dalton. Adams had three catches for 89 yards and looked like the team’s most explosive playmaker.
Dud: QB Andy Dalton
(AP Photo/David Banks)
Yes, Dalton threw an impressive touchdown to Adams, but the rest of his day was backup-worthy. Dalton completed 11-of-17 passes for 146 yards and had an interception to go along with his touchdown. Half of his production came on just one pass while the rest of his afternoon was a mix of dinks, dunks, and pedestrian plays. Did Dalton do enough to keep his starting job for another week? Maybe. But the gap is definitely closing.
Stud: DL Khyris Tonga
. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Tonga is trending as a 2021 NFL draft steal. The seventh-round pick from BYU is playing like a starting-caliber run defender who has better-than-expected penetrating ability against the pass. Tonga consistently did his job well against the Bills and was a tough task for Buffalo’s offensive linemen to move around. He’s going to be a very real factor on the Bears’ defense in 2021.
Dud: WR Riley Ridley
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The time for Ridley to prove he belongs on the Bears’ roster may be running out. He was targeted by Fields on a perfectly thrown downfield throw in the third quarter that a more physical and athletic wideout would’ve come down with. Instead, Ridley’s lack of explosiveness and urgency caused the pass to fall incomplete. He’s been passed by Adams and likely Dazz Newsome as receivers more likely to make the final 53.
Stud: RB Khalil Herbert
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Herbert had just three carries for 15 yards but he proved once again that he belongs in the conversation for carries behind starter David Montgomery. He showed his impressive vision and short-area burst on his fourth-quarter touchdown run and has now stacked back-to-back quality games together.
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