Report Card: Bears grades after loss to Lions |
The Bears were fresh off a loss to the AFC-leading Bills and welcomed the playoff-hopeful Lions to town. The Bears hung around early but once again dropped a high-scoring affair in Chicago, this time to the Lions, 41-10.
So let’s take a look and give out some grades based on the performances by position after the loss to the Lions. Quarterback B Justin Fields was back under center for the Bears and once again showed dynamic flashes. Fields was not too good through the air, completing only 7-21 for just 75 yards and a touchdown to go along with an interception. Fields did impact the game a lot with his legs, running for just 132 yards — leaving him just 64 yards short of the all-time record in a single season for a quarterback. Fields took some big hits, though, and the Bears need to do a better job protecting him. The Bears may not be winning games, but they certainly have their franchise quarterback. Running backs D David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert were the backs on Sunday and both combined for 11 carries for 55 yards total. Montgomery also caught two passes for 12 yards. The Bears will hope to keep the running game involved as the season continues, as they are the NFL’s No. 1 rush offense. This will certainly be something to watch in the future. Wide Receivers D The passing game was not active against such a high-powered team, and the Bears were without their top pass catchers in third-year wideout Darnell Mooney, and newly acquired Chase Claypool did not have a catch. Velus Jones Jr had a carry for 13 yards but also did not have a reception, and the same goes for Dante Pettis and Byron Pringle. Equanimeous St. Brown had two catches for 20 yards, and former Patriot N’Keal Harry had one catch for 16 yards. The Bears certainly have much more work to do. Tight Ends C+ This unit certainly has talent with Cole Kmet and Ryan Griffin, but they have not been that active. Cole Kmet led the Bears with two catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. Offensive Line F The offensive line was bad, Justin Fields was running for his life, and they could not do anything about it against Detroit. They need to do a better job of keeping Justin Fields upright, as he was sacked SEVEN times. This should absolutely be a point of focus once next season rolls around. 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. Credit to Trevis Gipson and Justin Jones for netting the Bears' only sacks. Linebackers D Roquan Smith has been traded to Baltimore, Robert Quinn is now an Eagle, and this unit is depleted. They began to show some flashes with Jack Sanborn, and he was out. Joe Thomas and Nicholas Morrow led the way on Sunday, but this unit could use an offseason upgrade for sure. Secondary C- This unit was fine on Sunday but not special. Eddie Jackson and Jaylon Johnson were out, but the Bears got some nice play from, Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker, who look to be pieces the Bears can rely on in the future for sure. Special Teams B Kicker Cairo Santos made one field goal and an extra point. Trenton Gill nailed three of his seven punts inside the 20. The Bears did have nearly 75 return yards on Sunday, though, in two tries. Playcalling C The playcalling was not great, but neither is the personnel, so it is hard to put the blame here. Nonetheless, week 17 is in the books and the Bears are now 3-13. Next on the schedule is another tough foe, the Minnesota Vikings.
