Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith played like a one-man wrecking crew in Sunday’s 23-16 win over the Carolina Panthers, finishing with a team-best 12 tackles in what was his best game of the 2020 season.
Smith thrived against the pass, too. He allowed just eight yards on four receptions, had one pass breakup, and a hurry of QB Teddy Bridgewater.
Smith’s top-shelf performance was easy to identify.
Still, it’s worth cross-checking what your eyes see with what the analytics say, and in this case, the end result is the same: Smith was downright dominant.
According to Pro Football Focus, Smith was the Bears’ best performer in Week 6, earning the highest grade of anyone on the roster. He finished the game with an 82.9 grade, which is a remarkable score considering he played all 68 reps on defense.
Smith’s performance against the Panthers was by far his highest-graded game by PFF this year. His previous season-best was a 68.1 against the Falcons in Week 3.
Eddie Jackson scored well for Pro Football Focus in Week 6 as well. His 80.6 was the second-best grade of any Bears player who played at least 8 snaps.
DeAndre Houston-Carson scored a ridiculous 95.9, but he was on the field for only seven plays and scored so highly because of his game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter.