The Bears starting offense looked very good against the Redskins on Saturday night and one of the biggest reasons why was the play of rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Jeffery caught all three passes thrown in his direction in the first half, turning them into 62 yards and a serious argument for more playing time going forward. He made one catch while drawing a flag for pass interference and turned another completion into a 34-yard gain with strong running after the catch.
“Whatever the situation is, I just try to go out and play my game. Whatever it takes to do that, it doesn’t matter,” Jeffery said, via Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com. “I would say practice is really tough. So in a game it comes easier. [Offensive coordinator Mike] Tice always talks about being explosive, so we try to make explosive plays; try to be one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history.”
The only black mark on the night for Jeffery was a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received for pulling DeAngelo Hall’s helmet off during some post-play pushing and shoving. The flag isn’t something the Bears want, obviously, but it’s the only thing working against Jeffery in his quest for a major job in the Bears offense this season.
With what we’ve seen from Jeffery and Brandon Marshall thus far in preseason, the hype about the Bears offensive improvement looks well earned.