The Chicago Bears were four minutes away from upsetting one of the best teams in the NFC. While there is no room for moral victories in the NFL, it was the first indication that this organization might be building a legitimate roster. Several young players stood out during the game. Justin Fields had one of his best performances. Much of that should get credited to his offensive line. They blocked quite well most of the afternoon. Tackles Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones were big highlights. However, the spotlight belonged to Teven Jenkins.
He has been the unquestioned best player on the Bears offensive line all season. Despite his injury setback to start the year, he’s been a menace for every opponent he’s faced since returning. He dominates in the ground game and has only allowed nine pressures in over 200 pass-blocking snaps. His signature moment may have arrived against Detroit. Everybody remembers this play where Fields climbs the pocket to find D.J. Moore for a gorgeous 39-yard touchdown.
What everybody missed was how Jenkins was the one who made it possible. Lions defensive end Julian Okwara beats Larry Borom with an inside move. He has a clear shot at Fields. Jenkins does his job of blocking the defensive tackle. Yet he has the presence of mind to sense the danger, comes off his block, and still manages to knock Okwara to the turf. That gave Fields enough time to deliver the strike. It’s an insanely impressive play.
The Bears face a dilemma. Under normal conditions, the guard would already be getting calls from GM Ryan Poles about an extension. That is how well he’s played. The problem is Jenkins’ injury history. He has missed a lot of games since arriving in the NFL three years ago. Not a lot of trust has been built in that department. Because of this, Chicago can’t make Jenkins one of the highest-paid guards in the league. So either he must be willing to accept a deal with significant injury protections, or he’ll have to gamble he can go into 2024 and stay healthy.
One can only hope this is the Teven Jenkins the Bears have for the rest of the year. He’s been superb. His presence makes life easier for Fields, who has now played three of the best games of his career in his past four starts. If the team can find a capable center to plug in the middle, that interior might transform into one of the NFL’s best. Jenkins deserves tons of credit for battling through adversity to reach this point. Many felt he was a lost cause after the Bears benched him in training camp last year. He continues to silence lots of doubters.
