Chicago Bears beat the Arizona Cardinals: Defensive grades

Secondary: B

Last week, the Chicago Bears secondary arguably lost them the game with two miserable plays in the fourth quarter. This time, with their backs against the wall at multiple points in this game, they repeatedly responded.

Early in the game, the Bears saw some welcome signs of life from Kyle Fuller, who is fighting for a roster spot. He wasn’t perfect in the game, but he made a couple of sure-handed tackles in the run game. Plus, he instinctively broke on a ball that ended up falling incomplete intended for J.J. Nelson. The ball was slightly high, but Fuller arrived at the same time as the ball, making the catch more difficult.

Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos both had solid moments in pass coverage, though in completely different ways. Jackson, as per usual, showed off his tremendous ball skills, nearly pulling off a circus catch for an interception on a ball that would’ve been caught for a Cardinal touchdown. Instead, he knocked it down, further demonstrating his ability to get to the football in the air.

Amos, on the other hand, made a big hit on a ball over the middle, with the pass falling incomplete. I still see Jackson eventually taking over as the team’s starting free safety, but having a solid backup like Amos should comfort the Bears.

Cre’Von LeBlanc got picked on quite a bit in this game, but he did have a pass breakup in the game. And DeAndre Houston-Carson, last week’s goat after allowing the two deciding touchdowns, had two big passes defended on the last Cardinals drive.

Next: Offensive grades for Chicago Bears in Preseason Week 2

They did allow Gabbert a chance to win the game, so it wasn’t perfect. They also gave up 252 yards passing total. But time and again tonight, pretty or not, the secondary played well enough to preserve the win.