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Bears backup stepped up in a big way against the Panthers based on the team's top PFF grades from Week 5

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated Oct 7, 2024 2:10 PM ET

The Chicago Bears are coming off a huge win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 and it was a full team effort on both sides of the ball.

With the dust settled, we now know which players stood out and which players struggled on Sunday based on the Pro Football Focus grades.

Most Notable Grade

The most notable grade from Sunday's game had to be offensive lineman Bill Murray. Murray had the second-highest offensive grade on the team after filling in for Teven Jenkins, who left the game with a knee injury.

Murray played 37 offensive snaps and didn't allow a single hurry or QB hit on those plays. So far, Murray's performance was the best the Bears have seen from any of their guards in a single game this season.

PFF gave Murray an 85.7 pass blocking grade, the second-highest on the offensive line, and a 79.2 run blocking grade. Only right guard Matt Pryor (87.5) had a higher pass blocking grade on Sunday. We'll see what this means for the offensive line combination going forward, depending on the extent of Jenkins' injury.

Top 5 Grades

As for the top grades, the Bears had four offensive lineman record Top-5 offensive grades and another standout backup led the way on defense.

Offense:
LG Teven Jenkins (84.5)
LG Bill Murray (83.9)
LT Braxton Jones (73.5)
TE Cole Kmet (73.1)
C Coleman Shelton (72.2)

Defense:
CB Jaylon Jones (92.0)
S Kevin Byard (91.7)
LB Tremaine Edmunds (85.4)
CB Jaylon Johnson (83.7)
DE Darrell Taylor (81.7)

Sunday's game was the best outing for the Bears offensive line. The unit allowed just one sack and one pressure per PFF. Jenkins had the highest offensive grade with an 84.5. On defense, backup cornerback Jaylon Jones had the highest grade with a 92.0 after breaking up both targets he faced. Kevin Byard also had an outstanding 91.7 grade after finishing with five tackles, two stops, and this key interception.

Bottom 5 Grades

As for the worst grades of the game, linebacker Jack Sanborn posted the lowest grade followed by offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr.

Offense:
OL Doug Kramer Jr. (44.3)
WR Keenan Allen (56.0)
TE Gerald Everett (59.1)
RB Khalil Herbert (60.0)
RG Nate Davis (60.0)

Defense:
LB Jack Sanborn (42.2)
CB Josh Blackwell (47.7)
DE Daniel Hardy (53.7)
DE Montez Sweat (54.0)
S Jaquan Brisker (56.6)

Sanborn's performance was a surprise as he was the highest graded player two weeks ago against the Colts. Kramer's grade was most likely affected by a clipping penalty that negated a touchdown run by quarterback Caleb Williams.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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