Bears vs. Chargers: Three things to watch in Sunday's Week 8 matchup
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Bears have a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time in two seasons when they head west for Sunday's matchup under the bright lights of prime time. Here are three things to watch when the 2-5 Bears take on the 2-4 Chargers in Los Angeles.
Thing number one should come as no surprise. It's Tyson Bagent, who's making his second-straight start as Justin Fields continues to recover from a dislocated thumb. The big question now after leading a win over the Raiders: will the Bears open up the playbook after we saw them pull Bagent for Nathan Peterman for a Hail Mary pass just before halftime last Sunday? Bagent said he can make any throw the offense requires. It's time for the Bears to let him prove it.
The second thing to watch will be Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson. He's in the final year of his rookie deal and has not been shy about getting paid, whether it's here or somewhere else. Since the game is in L.A., think of it as a final screen test before the Bears decide whether to trade him before Tuesday's Halloween deadline. He'll be looking to duplicate last week's two-interception performance against the likes of Justin Herbert and big-play receiver Keenan Allen.
And speaking of trades, our final thing to watch is former Bear Khalil Mack, just for fun. He was a Pro Bowler last season. While he's tied for fourth in the league with seven sacks, he got six of them in one game. Tyson Bagent has been quick to get rid of the ball. He was only sacked once last week, but the Chargers are tied for seventh in the league with 22 sacks in six games. So, we'll see if they can keep a clean pocket in back-to-back weeks.
One more note: the Chargers are used to playing in close games. They've averaged a 5.5-point margin in both their two wins and their four losses. That's three things to watch when the Bears try to improve to 3-5 on Sunday Night Football.
