Want hope for 2021? Here are four Bears to watch over the final four games

Mathematically, the Bears remain in the playoff picture, just barely. But for all intents and purposes, their 2020 season isn't coming back to life.

They likely aren’t beating the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, and that’s especially true if the Packers are in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a potential bye.

So is there any reason to watch the Bears over their final four games? How about four reasons. Below are four players to keep an eye on over the final four games of the 2020 season. Watch them with an eye toward 2021. In all likelihood, they will be key components for the Bears into 2021 and beyond.

1. Tight end Cole Kmet

The Jimmy Graham resurgence was fun, and it was a nice story when the Bears were 5-1. But now it's Kmet’s turn. The Bears signaled that in the way they’ve used the rookie the past three games. Kmet has been on the field for 70% of the offensive snaps in each game, and close to 80% in the past two games. Graham’s usage during that time has dropped.

Kmet cashed in with an 11-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter against Detroit. He caught five passes, a career high, for 37 yards.

Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor thinks Kmet has already shown what he can do physically. What Lazor wants to see over the next four games is in the details. Understanding how to change a route if it’s against zone vs. against man, for example.

“A guy like Cole who really loves football and who is into it, he’ll spend time watching other tight ends around the league who are successful and see some of the nuances,” Lazor said. “Once you get a guy having success, if he’s hungry, you can start feeding him those little nuances and that’s what will show up as we continue to move forward. I think we still have time for that to happen this year."

2. Receiver Darnell Mooney

Mooney is another rookie who has played a big role for the offense in 2020. Mooney has done it since Week 1. He has caught at least two passes in every game. It’s easy to forget that he’s still a rookie and that he didn’t come from a Power Five conference school.

If receiver Allen Robinson and the Bears part ways, are Mooney and Anthony Miller going to be ready to be the No. 1 and No. 2 options? Given the Bears’ cap situation, they might have to be.

Bears receivers coach Mike Furrey said following the Nov. 29 game against Green Bay that he has been impressed with what Mooney can do after the catch. Mooney showed it again against Detroit on a 21-yard gain early in the fourth quarter, beating a defender to the edge and flashing his speed.

“He’s showing you the ability that he has after the catch, which is going to be another attribute that he’s bringing to his game on top of what he’s already shown as a rookie,” Furrey said.

3. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson

Johnson is one short of the league lead in passes defended with 15 over 12 games. He has already proved to be one of the best young cornerbacks in the league. In a Bears rookie class that has a couple of bright spots, Johnson might even be the biggest highlight.

Still, he’s been part of a few miscommunications in the red zone that have cost the Bears touchdowns, including the touchdown that capped the Lions’ 96-yard fourth-quarter drive. Johnson’s also still looking for his first career interception. There’s still time to change that.

It seems plausible that a majority of the Bears’ defense will return in 2021, and Johnson should certainly be among them. The Bears are hoping he can keep making strides and blossom into a star the way cornerback Kyle Fuller has.

4. Center Sam Mustipher (with a shout-out to Alex Bars)

The Bears might have stumbled upon something at center. Mustipher was never meant to be their starting center, but injuries and the coronavirus forced him into the spot. After a brief absence due to a knee injury, Mustipher returned to center in each of the past two games. They have been two of the Bears’ most productive games on the offensive line, and definitely their best since James Daniels injured his pectoral muscle in Week 5.

With Alex Bars at right guard, the two former Notre Dame linemen are carving out roles for themselves.

“Sam and Alex are both really bright guys,” Lazor said. “They play with a great attitude, they play with great energy. There’s a number of pictures from each of the last two games where, at the end of the play, those two are the first two guys running down field to help the ball carrier up and pick him up, or get defenders off of him."

Mustipher now has an opportunity to potentially cement his place in the starting lineup for 2021. These last four games will be telling.