Position Grades for Bears after win over Vikings |
The Bears finally got back on track with a dominant win over the Houston Texans. We missed our position grades, but they all would have been A’s because it was the most complete and dominant win of the entire Matt Nagy era, keeping playoff hopes alive.
This week, the Bears followed up that performance with another win. Let’s give out our usual position grades for the Bears, who beat Kirk Cousins and the Vikings 33-27. Quarterbacks: A- Trubisky has been great since returning to the Bears as their starter. The offense put up 30 plus points in its third straight game, and in fact, had seven scoring possessions on the road in Minnesota. Mitch threw a late interception, but the fourth year Qb threw for 202 yards and a touchdown — and led the Bears to a win and an A- grade. Mitchell Trubisky vs. blitz in Wk 15:
Running backs: A+ David Montgomery followed up his second 100 yard performance of the year with another great effort. Montgomery had 32 carries for 146 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. Montgomery also caught a pass for 16 yards. Cordarelle Patterson had a carry and a catch as well. One of the best games from this unit all year. David Montgomery | among RBs:
Wide Receivers: A This unit performed admirably enough to earn a A. Allen Robinson had a solid game with four catches for 83 yards. Rookie Darnell Mooney caught four passes for 49 yards, and caught a TD. Anthony Miller caught a pass as well. Allen Robinson through 14 games:
Tight Ends: C+ This unit, with an overfilled position room, had a solid day on Sunday. Rookie Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham each had a pair of catches. The Bears haven’t been able to have both produce simultaneously, but this was a step in the right direction. "The future is lookin' bright & I'm excited to see where it all goes."@ColeKmet is just a kid from Chicago, living the dream.@advocatehealth | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/Pa7trp9obG
Offensive Line: B The offensive line has been getting hot the right times. This unit not only was able to generate a nice push in the run game but also kept Mitch Trubiksy upright — allowing just one sack. This unit is moving in the right direction. Defensive Line: B- The D-line wasn’t great on Sunday. The unit allowed Dalvin Cook to rush for a pair of touchdowns and go over 100 yards. However, three sacks on Kirk Cousins and pressure when it mattered helped the Bears secure this win, so they get a B-. Linebackers: C Khalil Mack was quiet for the Bears, although he picked up half a sack. The usually involved Roquan Smith was great again. Danny Trevathan was quiet but Robert Quinn played his best game of the year. Secondary: C- The Vikings had some big plays. The secondary was a weak spot as the Bears struggled to get off the field. However, they were without several defensive backs, which made that difficult. This unit needs to get healthy ASAP. Special Teams: A Cairo Santos was 4-4 on field goals and 3/3 on extra points, nothing short of spectacular. The return game was kept in check, with Patterson returning just three kicks for 69 yards and the rest going out of the end zone or away from him. Cairo Santos appreciation tweet. 21 straight FGs made. pic.twitter.com/fEqjoW1P4S
Playcalling: A Bill Lazor and company have figured out the right offense to run with this personnel. Trubiksy looks confident, and the run game is active. Definitely, something to build on moving forward. In the five games that Bill Lazor has called offensive plays for the #Bears, they have topped 25 points four times and have had three straight 30-point games.
Nonetheless, this team is now 7-7 and looking to make it 8-7 and keep playoff hopes alive against the Jaguars on Sunday.
?? 8-of-8
?? 1 TD
?? 158.3 passer rating (1st) pic.twitter.com/f28RtkD0Ew
80.8 PFF Grade (3rd)
673 yards after contact (4th)
47 missed tackles forced on runs (3rd)#ProBowl | #ProBowlSnub pic.twitter.com/RrIxlj4niH
?? 90 receptions
?? 1,110 yards
?? 6 TD
?? 58 first downs
?? 12.3 yards per reception pic.twitter.com/VqrelpiLO4
With Matt Nagy calling plays, their offense only reached 25 points two times in nine weeks.
