The Chicago Bears don't need a perfect game to win Week 8 on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks. They need the version of their roster that has shown flashes of brilliance on several occasions this season. Only this time, they'll need it for all four quarters.
Three players in particular have spent the first seven games falling short of the role this team has built for them, and the defending champions are the wrong opponent to be caught on the wrong foot.
Sam Roush has to become the second tight end
Cole Kmet is out for the season, and rookie Sam Roush is now the only reserve tight end on the roster behind Colston Loveland. To date, Roush has been relatively disappointing for Bears fans. On the stat sheet, he's only logged three catches across five targets, but those misses were costly ones in the loss against Minnesota back in Week 2.
Head coach Ben Johnson has already publicly stated that Roush's rep count would be rising, and Roush himself has even said that he'll "have to step up". Chicago's two tight end set can only work if both halves can hold up their end of the bargain, and Roush will need to be on his A-game in Seattle.
Rome Odunze has to find the end zone
Odunze has been an excellent option for all of the quarterbacks the Bears have fielded this season. Everywhere except the end zone, that is. Through seven games, Odunze has amassed 381 yards on 24 receptions, but none of them have been in the end zone. The Bears will need to find the end zone any way they can against the Seahawks, and Odunze's stat sheet needs a touchdown.
Jaylon Johnson needs to remember who he is
There is no kind way to say it. Johnson's performance this season has been underwhelming. Quarterbacks are feasting when they throw the ball his way, and he's routinely making his PFF grade even worse than it already was. He leads the Bears in missed tackles, and two of them turned into New England touchdowns.
Monday in Seattle draws Johnson's toughest challenge of the season, the reigning offensive player of the year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN leads the league with 867 receiving yards, and you better believe the Seahawks are well aware of Johnson's struggles. That's a clear hole they'll aim to exploit.
If these three players can step up and find a way to win in one of the loudest stadiums in professional sports, they'll have helped their team to be one step closer to taking the NFC North. The Detroit Lions already showed the Vikings are human, and a win now is exactly what the Bears need.
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