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Chicago Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. took a second-quarter pitch Sunday at Soldier Field, broke toward the right sideline and squeezed past three Minnesota Vikings defenders.
When he broke through the hole on the other side, it was straight grass to the end zone for a 42-yard touchdown, the on-field highlight of the Bears’ 29-13 loss.
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“I had the bulldozer (fullback Khari Blasingame) ahead of me,” Jones said. “Literally I was hiding away from the DB because he was trying to find the angle to get around me. I used my good blocker. KB, he sealed the deal for me. And so when he finally committed outside, KB washed him down and I just stayed in bounds and took off.
“I don’t know if I was surprised, but I saw the end zone so you know I had to make a run for it.”
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Jones’ touchdown, a 28-yard catch and four kickoff returns for 82 yards allowed the rookie to end a bumpy season with a few nice moments. Entering the game, he had eight carries for 61 yards and six catches for 79 yards.
“I’m confident in my abilities,” Jones said. “These coaches know what I can do. … I’ll just stack off of this, train my butt off and get ready for OTAs when that time comes around.”
Bears running back David Montgomery took photos in the middle of the field with a big group of what appeared to be friends and family after the loss.
Montgomery, a 2019 third-round pick, wrapped up his fourth season with 201 carries for 801 yards and five touchdowns, second on the team in rushing yards and touchdowns to quarterback Justin Fields. He has rushed for more than 800 yards in each of his four seasons, including a high of 1,070 in 2020.
The Bears have a decision to make on Montgomery’s future as he is set to become a free agent. Running back Khalil Herbert, who had 129 carries for 731 yards and four touchdowns, will return next season.
Montgomery said he wanted to decompress before getting into what’s next with his agent.
“I’ve just been focused on the game,” Montgomery said. “We’ll get into that when the time comes. I just need to … allow my emotions to soak in and just be grateful for the opportunities I was blessed with for the last four years.”
Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker said he took time away from the Bears in the week leading up to Sunday’s game as he dealt with watching Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffer cardiac arrest on “Monday Night Football.”
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Brisker said he has known Hamlin since the eighth grade in the Pittsburgh area and has trained with him. He praised the coaching staff for allowing him to take the time away and was thrilled Hamlin has made a remarkable recovery. Hamlin spoke to his teammates Friday on a video conference and tweeted during the Bills game Sunday.
“It was very difficult seeing it happen to him like that, him go down and being in critical condition,” Brisker said. “That was very tough. Really, just mentally, it was bad. I really had to step away from the facility for a little bit and collect my thoughts.
“The coaches were by our sides — anyone who needed it. That was a difficult time in football and in the world. You never want to see something like that happen to anyone, not even your worst enemy. I feel like the staff and everybody had a good job of having our backs.”
Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko and quarterback Nathan Peterman, who both went to Hamlin’s alma mater of Pittsburgh, wore Hamlin jerseys into the stadium Sunday to honor him.
“It was just huge news this week, very relieving,” Peterman said. “I was so thankful to see the power of prayer really work.”
