Bears DE Julius Peppers became one of the league's highest-paid players in the offseason when he reportedly signed a six-year deal worth up to $91.5 million with $42 million guaranteed. Each week we will take a close look at his performance to see if he played up to the high standard that comes with such a lucrative deal.

A quick glance at the stat sheet would suggest Peppers didn't make much of an impact in Week Two. Chicago didn't sack Tony Romo, and Peppers wasn't even credited with a tackle, although one observer on the scene said Peppers stopped RB Marion Barber on a goal-line run. Peppers did hit Romo once, however, and knocked down two of the Dallas QB's pass attempts. The Bears had four other quarterback hits in the game, and a talented trio of Cowboys running backs had no room to run, thanks in part to Peppers. They were held to just 36 yards on 20 carries and there's no denying that Peppers has made the defensive line much more effective. Did he earn his money vs. Dallas? Probably not, but Peppers wasn't as much of a ghost as the stats suggest.