Chicago Bears: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was the game’s MVP

The star of last night’s game for the Chicago Bears was obviously their new safety.

The Chicago Bears improved to 2-1 overall after a much-needed win against the Washington Redskins. With the rest of the NFC North off to a blistering start, the team needed the win just to keep pace with the rest of the division, with an incredibly important division game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday on a short week.

Last night, the offense looked much improved putting up 24 points after only scoring 19 total points in their first two games.

However, the defense was dominant yet again. They forced five turnovers and were constantly in the backfield creating chaos for Redskins’ quarterback Case Keenum who looked disoriented at times.

As good as they played, there was one player who stood out, and that was safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. You just know the performance had to feel good for the Alabama University standout who signed with the Bears this offseason to team up with former Bama teammate Eddie Jackson.

It must have felt good not just because it was against his former team (albeit briefly), but mainly because there was some chatter in the offseason questioning whether he was still a top-end safety.

Well, after last night’s performance, you won’t hear many conversations like that for a while. Clinton-Dix had an incredible game, leading the team in tackles with nine (seven solo tackles). He also got the scoring going for the Bears with a pick-six on the Redskins’ first possession.

That set the tone for the rest of the evening on defense and was exactly what the Bears needed to get off to a hot start. Ha Ha capped off his impressive night with another interception in the third quarter.

Ha Ha was the beneficiary of a poor throw from Keenum on the pick-six, though credit to him for being in the right position. On the second interception, he made a great play on the ball after reading the quarterback’s eyes and breaking in front of the wide receiver to pick it off.

If Ha Ha can continue to play at this level alongside All-Pro Eddie Jackson, the Bears defense could get even better as the season goes along — if you can believe it. Other teams are having nightmares at the thought of this unit improving but those nightmares can quickly become a reality.