Tag: Sam Mustipher

5 takeaways from Bears’ narrow 20-17 victory over the Bengals

From continuing to roll with Justin Fields to locking down Roquan Smith, here are our takeaways from the Bears’ Week 2 win vs. Bengals.

Wins don’t normally come easy for the Chicago Bears, and Sunday’s victory against the Cincinnati Bengals was no exception. The Bears won 20-17 thanks to an efficient first-quarter offense, a dominant defensive performance at all three levels, and a clutch run from Justin Fields to ice the game in the fourth quarter.

Fields saw more time than usual after a knee injury knocked out starter Andy Dalton. With the veteran’s status in question heading into Week 3, the debate to start Fields is sure to ramp up in the coming days. But for now, we’re enjoying the first Bears victory of the season, and I had a few takeaways from the home opener on the lakefront.

Studs and duds from Bears’ 20-17 win vs. Bengals

There were quite a few highlights and notable standout players from the Bears’ victory vs. Bengals, as well as some players who struggled.

The Chicago Bears played in front of the home crowd for the first time this season against the Cincinnati Bengals and gave the fans quite the experience.

After a hot start thanks to quarterback Andy Dalton finding receiver Allen Robinson for the 7-0 lead, both teams couldn’t seem to score. Things got interesting in the second quarter, however, when Dalton injured his knee on a scramble and gave way to Justin Fields.

The rookie quarterback showed some flashes, but could not get the Bears into scoring position. The defense, however, came to life and broke the game open. A pick six from Roquan Smith gave the Bears a 14-3 lead. Two more interceptions on consecutive passes led to a pair of field goals, extending the lead to 20-3.

An easy win seemed inevitable until the Bengals came back to score 14 unanswered points. But Fields converted a critical third down to preserve the 20-17 victory.

There were quite a few highlights and notable standout players from this one, but a few guys struggled in key situations. Here are the studs and duds from the Bears’ Week 2 win.

Ranking the Bears’ most important offensive players for 2021 season

We’re ranking the 10 most important Bears players on offense heading into the 2021 season.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of the 2021 season, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football on Sept. 12. But there are plenty of questions facing this team, starting with the offense.

There are some notable changes on the offense, starting with quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Justin Fields, which is an upgrade over last year’s situation. There are a lot of exciting weapons on offense — from second-year pros Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet to veterans like Allen Robinson and David Montgomery. But there are concerns on the offensive line, which will be a focal point at the start of the season.

We’re ranking the 10 most important Bears players on offense heading into the 2021 season:

Does a certain stat validate Notre Dame’s status as O-Line U?

A stat brought to light by Pro Football Focus shows why Notre Dame should be at the top of the O-Line U rankings.

Plenty of schools argue back and forth which team has sent the best talent from their universities off to the NFL. There was an interesting stat that Pro Football Focus brought to light recently that should give Notre Dame fans plenty of ammo to fight off those other schools as to who produces the best offensive line talent into the NFL.

The number of snaps played is a great indicator of talent, especially along the O-Line where there aren’t many stats to back-up performance. Multiple former Notre Dame linemen stars including Quenton Nelson, Sam Mustipher, Mike McGlinchey and Zach Martin are huge forces for their NFL teams.

Not only that, we should see each of the four NFL Draft eligible (Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey, Tommy Kraemer and Aaron Banks) ultimately hear their names being called in late April.

Jarrett Patterson will also hear his name getting called when he leaves South Bend and surely some of the younger players like Tosh Baker, Blake Fisher, Rocco Spindler and Zeke Correll should make it to the next level as well.

It’s safe to say that for the time being, Notre Dame holds the mantle of O-Line U.

The Bears might’ve found their center in Sam Mustipher

Bears center Sam Mustipher has a chance to become an important leader and mainstay on Chicago’s offensive line.

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The Chicago Bears offensive line has several several different arrangements this season due to injury and reserve/COVID-19 list designations. But there seems to be one silver lining amidst the struggles on the offensive line, which is the emergence of Sam Mustipher.

Mustipher signed with the Bears in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, and through some woes on the offensive line has gotten his chance to shine. And he’s taken full advantage of it.

“He’s got a big heart, very smart, very competitive,” said offensive line coach Juan Castillo. “You know, guys like that, sometimes all they need is an opportunity. And that’s what he has, and so far, he’s making the best of it. I think he’s good for the group. The way he plays is like a construction worker, pounding away every play.”

Chicago’s coaching staff has been quite impressed with Mustipher, who saw his second career start at center on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.

Mustipher’s first start came in replacement of starting center Cody Whitehair. Unfortunately for Mustipher he suffered a knee injury that kept him sidelined for two games. But he returned to the starting line-up alongside Whitehair. Only Mustipher lined up at center while Whitehair kicked out to left guard.

Now, Mustipher has a chance to become an important leader and mainstay on Chicago’s offensive line.

“When we got here, I talked about [him] putting on weight,” said Castillo. “He was about 305 or so, and now he’s 320 pounds. There’s a difference, you know. 10-15 pounds make a big difference, you know. And he’s done all the extra work.”

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Nick Foles doubtful, Akiem Hicks, Charles Leno Jr. game-time decisions vs. Packers

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Friday’s practice, which included game designations.

The Chicago Bears released their final injury report ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers, where the quarterback position finally became clear as Mitchell Trubisky got the nod as the starter.

Trubisky has been a full participant this entire week while Nick Foles, suffered a hip injury a couple of weeks ago against the Minnesota Vikings, missed his third straight practice this week.

Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and left tackle Charles Leno Jr. will be game-time decisions on Sunday, as their statuses are officially questionable.

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Friday’s practice, as well as game designations.

Bears injury report: Mitchell Trubisky full participant, Nick Foles DNP on Thursday

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Thursday’s practice, where Mitchell Trubisky fully participated and Nick Foles sat out.

The Chicago Bears released their second injury report ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers. And all eyes were once again on the quarterbacks during Thursday’s practice.

After missing the last two games, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has been a full participant this week on Wednesday and Thursday. Trubisky had been nursing a right shoulder injury. Meanwhile, quarterback Nick Foles, suffered a hip injury a couple of weeks ago against the Minnesota Vikings, missed his second straight practice this week.

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Thursday’s practice, which included three players absent with injuries.

Bears injury report: Mitchell Trubisky full participant, Nick Foles DNP on Wednesday

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Wednesday’s practice, where Mitchell Trubisky fully participated and Nick Foles sat out.

The Chicago Bears released their first injury report ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers. And all eyes were on the quarterbacks during Wednesday’s practice.

After missing the last two games, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was a full participant on Wednesday. Trubisky had been nursing a right shoulder injury while Foles suffered a hip/glute injury a couple of weeks ago against the Minnesota Vikings.

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Wednesday’s practice, which included just two players out due to injury.

Bears inactives: Which players won’t play vs. Vikings in Week 10?

The Chicago Bears released their list of inactives ahead of today’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Chicago Bears released their list of inactives ahead of today’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago has been banged up this week, where they’ll be without starting running back David Montgomery and nose tackle John Jenkins.

Here’s a look at the players that won’t be suiting up for the Bears:

Bears injury report: David Montgomery, John Jenkins ruled out vs. Vikings

Chicago has four players that have been ruled out and four questionable against the Vikings on Monday.

The Chicago Bears have been relatively lucky on the injury front through the first half of this season. But it seems like injuries have finally caught up to them.

The Bears released their final injury report of the week ahead of their Week 10 game against the Minnesota Vikings, which features several prominent starters, complete with game designations.

Chicago has four players that have been ruled out, four questionable and out doubtful against the Vikings on Monday.