There were plenty of reasons to feel good today. Most of it had to do with the Chicago Bears winning their first football game in almost two months. It also didn’t hurt they scored 30 points for the first time since November of 2015 or that it was on the road against a team that still had something to play for in the Cincinnati Bengals. Yet the best part of all was seeing who led the charge towards this satisfying 33-7 blowout.
One man undoubtedly loving it is GM Ryan Pace. After all the best players on the day were drafted by him. Indeed it’s true. Point at every key play of the game and it was a Pace draft pick doing the damage. Mitch Trubisky went 25-of-32 for 271 yards, threw a touchdown and ran for another. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen combined for 227 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Adam Shaheen had 44 yards and a touchdown. Eddie Jackson had an interception and forced a fumble.
That’s not even counting Roy Robertson-Harris, an undrafted free agent from 2016 who also delivered a sack. People say the Bengals defense was banged up. So? The Bears were too and the game was never really close. Don’t forget that those five men are in their first or second years too. It was an impressive show.
Ryan Pace proving he can build through draft as promised
This not only is some vindication of Pace, who was feeling the heat as the team continued to stumble. It was also a reminder of how good this roster could potentially be when they got even above average coaching. The creative play calling and aggressive mentality the team had most of the afternoon was a huge part of their success. By far the best job done by John Fox and his staff this season.
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Not that it will save them of course. If nothing else this game is living up to the mission Pace set back in 2015. He wanted to build this roster primarily through the draft. Now those seeds planted are starting to bear fruit. The past two draft classes look especially promising. Getting four major contributors in five picks this year? One may view 2017 as the signature moment for Pace.
His last big hurdle is no longer a giant talent gap. It’s whether he can find the coaches who can put the puzzle pieces together. That will be a fascinating development to watch.
