Report Card: Bears grades after loss to Eagles |
The Bears were fresh off a loss to the division rival Packers and their BYE week and welcomed the NFL’s best team. The Bears dropped a high-scoring affair in Chicago to the Eagles, 25-20.
So let’s take a look and give out some grades based on the performances by position after the loss to the Eagles: Quarterback A- Justin Fields was back under center for the Bears and once again showed dynamic flashes. Fields was accurate, completing 14-of-21 passes for 152 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Fields once again impacted the game with his legs, running for 95 yards and having an electrifying touchdown called back. The Bears may not be winning games, but they certainly have their quarterback. Running backs A David Montgomery was good on the ground, carrying the ball 12 times for 53 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. Khalil Herbert was out with injury, so it was Darrynton Evans who spelled Montgomery with two carries for nine 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. Wide Receivers D+ The passing game was forced to be 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. Byron Pringle led the way with two catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. Equanamius St. Brown had just one catch for 20 yards. Dante Pettis had one catch for 13 yards, and Nsiba Webster caught two passes for 14 yards. Velus Jones Jr. also had a catch for three yards and carry that he fumbled away. 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 four catches for 25 yards. Offensive Line D+ The offensive line was pretty bad, as they were up against one of the NFL’s top defenses. They need to do a better job of keeping Justin Fields upright, as he was sacked SIX times. But they made up for it in the run game, opening holes for Montgomery and Fields 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 Jalen Hurts — only mustering up one sack from Joe Thomas. Linebackers D 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. Secondary C This unit was not great on Sunday. Eddie Jackson was out, and the Bears were shredded with two receivers having our 100 yards. However, this unit is saved from interceptions by Deandre Houston-Carson and Kyler Gordon, who turned in possible his best game as a pro. Special Teams B Kicker Cairo Santos made two extra points and missed a third. Trenton Gill nailed three of his six punts inside the 20. The Bears did have nearly 100 return yards on Sunday though in four tries. Playcalling C The playcalling was better, but they struggled to get points when they needed it. Nonetheless, week 15 is in the books and the Bears are now 3-11. Next on the schedule is another tough foe, the Buffalo Bills.
