Bears Positional Grades after loss to Lions |
A week after dropping a high-scoring affair against Miami, the Bears went toe-to-toe with one of the league’s most prolific offenses. The bears dropped a high-scoring affair in Chicago to the Detroit Lions, 31-30. In fact, the Bears have become the first team in NFL history to lose three straight games while putting up 29 or more points in each.
So let’s take a look and give out some grades based on the performances by position after the loss to the Lions. Quarterback A- Justin Fields has shown some extreme growth over the last couple of games, and that SHINED on Sunday. Fields was accurate, completing 12-of-20 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Fields also ran for 178 yards and a touchdown last week — the most rushing yards by a quarterback ever in a game. He followed that up this week with 13 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns, tallying the most rushing yards over a two-game span by a QB, ever. What knocks this game down to an A- for the dynamic Fields was a pick-six in the second half that really cost the Bears. Still a strong effort from QB1. Running backs B- David Montgomery was okay on the ground, carrying the ball 9 times for 37 yards. He also caught one pass for seven yards. Khalil Herbert spelled Montgomery with 10 carries for 57 yards. However, Fields made up for what this group lacked on Sunday. The Bears will hope to keep the running game involved as the season continues, as they are the NFL’s No. 1 rush offense. Wide Receivers C+ The passing game was fairly active, and third-year wideout Darnell Mooney caught four passes for 57 yards. Newly acquired Chase Claypool had just one catches for eight yards. Equanamius St. Brown had two carries for nine yards. Dante Pettis carried the ball one time for eight yards. Former Patriot N’Keal Harry was not active. Byron Pringle caught a pass for 12 yards. The Bears certainly have improved here but have much more work to do. Tight Ends A This unit certainly has talent with Cole Kmet and Ryan Griffin, but they have not been that active. Cole Kmet led the Bears with four catches for 74 yards, and two touchdowns; this unit is finally starting to shine. Offensive Line C+ The offensive line was not that bad, but they did allow three sacks of quarterback Justin Fields. They need to do a better job of keeping Fields upright, but they made up for it in the run game, opening holes for Fields, Montgomery, and Herbert all game long. Defensive Line D The defensive line was not good. The D-line allowed big play after big play in the run game and did not muster up nearly enough pressure on Jared Goff. Linebackers C- Roquan Smith has been traded to Baltimore, Robert Quinn is now an Eagle, and this unit is depleted. They sure looked like it on Sunday. However, Jack Sanborn did come away with 12 tackles and two sacks to save this unit. Secondary D This unit was not great on Sunday. Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker were active in the tackle department, but the Bears' secondary struggled to make any big stops or take the ball away. Special Teams D Kicker Cairo Santos made three extra points and a field goal but missed a crucial extra point, and the Bears lost by one. Trenton Gill nailed one of his three punts inside the 20. Dante Pettis and Khalil Herbert were solid in the return game. Playcalling B The play calling was better in Matt Eberflus 10th career game with the Bears. The Bears seemed to trust Justin Fields more, and it was nice to see him perform. We’ll see how the Bears respond in week 11. Nonetheless, week 10 is in the books and the Bears open the season 3-7. Next on the schedule is the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
