Chicago Bears: 5 Players who must shine vs. Rams in Week 11

James Daniels, OG

Despite having a Pro Bowl season last year, the Chicago Bears decided to have center Cody Whitehair switch with guard James Daniels. After a few weeks, it appeared that the experiment wasn’t working. Many wanted the team to switch them back, but head coach Matt Nagy wouldn’t make the move.

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Suddenly, however, the Bears had Whitehair take snaps at center with the starters. The Bears then decided to make the switch (silently) against the Lions in Week 10. Whitehair had a bit of rust but did well. Daniels did a good job blocking but did continue his penchant for committing penalties.

This move might have been made for this game. Daniels did a fantastic job in last season’s matchup. He faced Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, two of the league’s best defensive players, and did a good job of keeping the quarterback clean.

This week, Daniels faces Donald all game long. I expect Daniels to mostly go one-on-one with Donald, with occasional help. This matchup may be the one that helps decide the outcome. If Daniels has a repeat performance, the Bears offense has a chance to make some plays. If Donald dominates Daniels, though, the offense is in big trouble. Donald remembers how the defensive line basically got embarrassed by the Bears offensive line and he looks to make up for that.

Let’s hope Daniels rises to the occasion again and helps the Bears upset the Rams.