By his standards, Julius Peppers had an atrocious game against the Seahawks. He only contribted one tackle to the cause.
It's nothing new.
The All-Pro is in his ninth season, and though he's consistently been one of the league's best defensive ends, Peppers has had bad games before. How has he bounced back in the past?
Well Bears fans, the news isn't great for Sunday, but could be good for the season. In the past, Peppers has been more likely to have bad spells followed by good spells instead of bad games with good games.
- In 2009, he had two games in the middle of the season -- losses to New Orleans and Miami -- with just one tackle. After that, he went on a tear, notching 4.5 sacks in five games
- 2008 was Peppers best season, as he made 40 tackles and 14.5 sacks. That doesn't mean he didn't have a bad game. In fact, he started the season slow, making just three tackles in the first two games. After that, he heated up, leading to a monster of a game against the Raiders with seven tackles and three sacks.
That 2008 season also says volumes about Peppers' ability to bounce back, considering in 2007 he battled injuries and only had 2.5 sacks.
It's hard to be patient, Bears fans. With a 16-game season, that's understandable. But considering his past performance, a bad game or two is well worth sitting through when a sack explosion is down the road.
