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Chicago Bears third-year defensive lineman Bilal Nichols is enjoying a quietly productive season as a primary contributor on defense, and he enjoyed one of the best games of his young career in Sunday’s 33-27 win over the Vikings.
Nichols ended the game as the highest-graded defender on the team, per Pro Football Focus, with an 85.5. He scored a 77.6 against the run and a 76.2 for his pass rush.
Sunday’s performance was Nichols’ second-best grade from PFF this season. He registered an elite 93.4 score against the Lions in Week 13.
Nichols is enjoying the best year of his career, from an analytics standpoint, through 15 weeks. His season-grade now sits at 76.5, which tops his rookie-year mark of 75.3. Remember: Nichols has already logged 566 snaps this year. He totaled just 361 as a rookie, so his higher grade — while only 1.3 points above his 2018 mark — is much more impressive.
Second-year cornerback Duke Shelley and rookie Kindle Vildor both ranked at the bottom of Chicago’s defenders. Shelley scored a 52.2 while Vildor logged a 50.4.