Roquan Smith Flipped the Superstar Switch in Detroit

Mitch Trubisky and the offense took center stage in the win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Deservedly so. Mitch Trubisky threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Miller had 140 yards receiving. David Montgomery averaged 4.7 yards per carry. A 4th quarter comeback on a 90-yard drive. Great stuff. However, the defense still did their part. They gave up 20 points. Khalil Mack had a ton of pressures. Kyle Muller made the play of the game to save a touchdown. Yet the true star of the game was Roquan Smith and it wasn't really that close.

People really wondered if Smith was starting to fall apart after a mysterious absence in the Vikings game last September then struggled after returning the next few weeks. It would seem those were a bit presumptuous because Smith has turned his game up several notches in the past couple of weeks. He had an interception against the Rams and helped shut down Saquon Barkley last week.

However, he saved his best for the big divisional game in Detroit. He was credited with a career-high 15 tackles and also two sacks. The second of which was one of the pivotal plays in the final second to force a 4th and 22. David Blough then through a sealing interception to Eddie Jackson to complete the comeback victory.

Roquan Smith is living up to the Bears legacy

Everybody knows the Bears have the best track record with inside linebackers in NFL history. Bill George. Dick Butkus. Mike Singletary. Brian Urlacher. Smith entered a position that has the highest of expectations. He started off great with 122 tackles as a rookie, the second-most in franchise history. Now with 98 tackles, he's about to top the 100 mark for the second-straight year. The kid is living up to the hype in every way and that's so exciting to see.

What makes it all the more impressive is he really started to step up his game after Danny Trevathan went down with his elbow injury. The defense needed him to do more and he has done everything they could've hoped for. This is great news for the Bears and the long-term stability of their defense. If Smith remains at this level, he'll be a building block for them into the future as they're forced to shuffle the roster in years to come.