Chicago Bears: Grading the team’s first half performance

Linebackers: B+

The linebacker corps is greatly improved. Pernell McPhee is healthy again and making an impact on the field. He has 13 tackles and 4 sacks in the first half. He looks a lot like the McPhee the Bears wanted when they signed him as a free agent.

His partner on the other side, Leonard Floyd, continues to progress in his second year. The 2016 first round draft pick utilizes his freakish athletic ability to create havoc in the opposing backfield. He has 26 tackles, 5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a safety. Also, against the Panthers, his athleticism matched up well with Newton’s and he hounded and harassed him all game long, forcing an interception.

Danny Trevathan and Christian Jones are among the league leaders in tackles. They combined for 100 tackles in the first half, and Trevathan also has an interception. Sam Acho gives the Bears good depth. He recorded 18 tackles and had some big hits in the first half. With him playing well, the main guys could rest and be fresh at the end of games.

The unit took a hit with the loss of Jerrell Freeman. He played just one game but recorded 10 tackles. He tore his pectoral muscle and suffered a concussion. Recently, the NFL suspended him 10 games for PED use. He admitted to taking it for his concussion and said he suffered memory loss. As good as he is, we may have seen the last of him playing football.

The linebacker unit did a great job in the first half. The linebackers help in bringing back the “Monsters of the Midway” defense we enjoyed from the past.