Grading the Bears

Bears Report Card: Big mistakes and big successes led to a decent effort and that's not enough against a division leader on the road.

Matt Eberflus told players the plain truth about the NFL after Sunday's 29-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

It's going to be this way in the NFL on a week-to-week basis and they need to find ways to win.

The offense and defense both had hands in finding ways to lose to the Vikings.

The offense couldn't finish a final drive due to Ihmir Smith-Marsette trying to do more than he needed to do. There is no shame to running out of bounds, with two players in your face at the sidelines, with the clock running and only one timeout remaining.

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The defense had its troubles in the first half, then in the fourth quarter couldn't get off the field after they played a quarter and a half of solid football. A third-and-1, third-and-4, third-and-5, third-and-8 and finally a third-and-1 when Kirk Cousins snuck into the end zone. The third-and-8 to Alexander Mattison was especially painful, as two defenders were back near the goal line while he caught it well short of the first down and simply ran past the sticks.

"We got to win the down, you got to win your matchup, either if it's the front given getting the pressure or the coverage breaking up the pass," Eberflus said.

The Bears defense still gave up too many big runs when it couldn't afford to, and in the first half allowed Justin Jefferson to catch passes at will. He finished with a career-high 12 catches.

Here are the grades for a 29-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, one in which the Bears needed a repeat lesson in ball security when the game with the game on the line. 

Hey, doesn't the "T" in HITS principle stand for taking care of the football on offense at game's end just like the rest of the game? 

Passing Game: B

Justin Fields had passes of 39 yards to Darnell Mooney, 30 yards to David Montgomery, 23 to Cole Kmet, 18 to Equanimeous St. Brown and a 9-yard TD on a shovel pass to Velus Jones Jr. He also completed one to Smith-Marsette and it would have been better if he hadn't. What he couldn't do was complete one to Dante Pettis, but not for lack of trying and putting it right in Pettis' hands. Twice. Fields had better pass blocking in this game with Lucas Patrick working a full week of practice at left guard, and the only flaws in the passing game.

Running Game: D+

David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert suffered through their worst game of the year as Minnesota shut down the running attack that had been rolling through four weeks. Montgomery came back from injury for 1.7 yards a carry and Herbert had 2.8. The 47 yards rushing by Fields was almost solely the result of the passing game on scrambles. Montgomery's 9-yard run was a long carry by the backs against a team ranked 23rd against the run.

Pass Defense: D-

They redeemed themselves after a horrible start when they allowed 10 first-half receptions by Jefferson, as they gave up only two catches to him in the second half. However, Kirk Cousins adjusted by finding Irv Smith Jr. and K.J. Osborn, or his backs. The Bears allowed 12 of 15 third down conversions, or 80%, a completely abysmal number. It let the Vikings pile up 36:44 of possession time, a stat the Bears had to win in this game. Kindle Vildor's clutch fourth-quarter interception and 18-yard return nearly turned the game the Bears' way for good and provided the only reason why this wasn't a total failure in terms of defending the pass. They'll really enjoy having Jaylon Johnson back this week. The pass rush was spotty, and in general lacking from the interior.

Run Defense: B-

Although Dalvin Cook gained 94 yards on 18 carries, he had none longer than 15 and the Bears limited Minnesota to 3.8 yards per carry overall. Considering they had been yielding rushing yards to anyone who felt like picking up a football, a 117-yard effort was a positive.

Special Teams: B+

The onside kick early in the game failed and they failed to pick up a fumble when they got one out again on a punt, a problem the defense also had in this one. However, Dominique Robinson blocked a field goal after the onside kick to bail out Eberflus on his gamble. Three Cairo Santos field goals from 50, 43 and 51 yards vouched for his accuracy from 50-and-longer, one of the few uncertainties about his leg that was left starting this season.

Coaching: C+

The way it started they could have easily been blown out, but in-game adjustments on offense and defense nearly wrestled this one away after they trailed by 18. Eberflus went riverboat gambler with a failed onside kick when they trailed 21-16 and they bailed him out with a blocked field goal. Give him credit for trying something different, though. And give Luke Getsy credit for the shovel/end around that Velus Jones Jr. scored on. They were 2-for-2 in the red zone a week after they were 0-for-3. Getsy didn't mind calling pass plays after he seemed incapable of it through four weeks. They tried mixing up how they zoned on defense with Jefferson and Cousins on a roll but nothing seemed to work. The first play of the game on offense was a delay-of-game penalty, a total embarrassment. This was one you can't pin on Getsy as fullback Khari Blasingame fouled up and didn't get on the field when he knew he should have been there.

Overall: C+

It takes more than an average or slightly above average effort to beat a division leader on the road. The Bears talked about the game like it was a moral victory to get the lead back. They shouldn't get too comfortable with moral victories because they're not really allowed in the NFL.

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