St. Louis Rams vs. Chicago Bears: Final Game Grades & Game Analysis

The game was close through three quarters but with the way the Bears defense was playing there was never really a doubt in the outcome. 

Led by six sacks and two interceptions the Bears cruised to a 23-6 victory over the Rams. Jay Cutler was 17 for 31 with 183 yards and an interception. He failed to throw a touchdown. Michael Bush had 55 yards on the ground with 18 carries and a touchdown. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery each had five receptions. 

Quarterback

Jay Cutler
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Jay Cutler: C-

Cutler really did nothing to help his team today. He was under pressure at times but had some erratic throws even when given time. He finished the game barely completing 50 percent of his passes and did not have a touchdown. 

Cutler's quarterback rating was just 58.9 and was not able to push the ball down field the whole game. Right now he is not in any kind of rhythm and it is causing the entire offense to really bog down.  

Running Backs

Michael Bush
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Michael Bush: C

Bush started strong and it looked like he was going to have a big day. As the game went along the he struggled to gain yards and was spelled a lot by Kahlil Bell. He finished with 55 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. 

Kahlil Bell: C-

Bell was not able to get going. He had 10 carries for 20 yards and 12 of those came on one run. He managed to get a reception for 11 yards. 

Armando Allen: C

One rush for Allen for two yards. That's all he got...

Evan Rodriguez: C+

It's worth noticing the running game was sharp when Rodriguez was on the field. He was opening holes for Bush but left with an injury. Missing most of the game causes his grade to go down. 

Wide Receivers

Brandon Marshall
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Brandon Marshall: C

Marshall finished with five catches for 71 yards but his longest and most impressive catch came when the game was out of reach. Marshall had a key drop and was a non factor in the red zone. 11 targets for him should warrant more catches.  

Alshon Jeffery: C+

Jeffery also had five receptions but no big gains. He worked the intermediate area for a paltry 45 yards. 

Devin Hester: D

Hester continues to be missing in action on offense. No catches and his only touch was a eight-yard reverse.

Earl Bennett: D

Bennett was not able to get loose in the middle of the field. He finished with one catch on four targets.  

Tight Ends

Kellen Davis
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Kellen Davis: C-

Again Davis has not been much of a target. A player his size should be targeted more than three times. He had just two catches for 20 yards and continued to block poorly. 

Matt Spaeth: D

Spaeth is a blocking tight end and right now he isn't doing that very well. Couple that with his zero catches and there is not much to be desired from him. 

Kyle Adams: C-

Adams was put into the game as the main lead blocker for the running backs after Rodriguez got hurt and the running game dropped off the table. He finished with one catch for seven yards. 

Offensive Line

Lovie Smith
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J'Marcus Webb: D+

For the second week in a row Webb was yelled it. This time by Mike Tice. He got beat all day and did nothing to open holes for his running backs. 

Chilo Rachel: C-

Rachel started for Chris Spencer and was an upgrade but just barely. He got decent pushes early but as the game went on he was worn down by the Rams defensive line and linebackers. 

Roberto Garza: B

Garza was solid. He made no mistakes up the middle and had his team in position to pick up any blitzes. When given the chance to block in the open field he did well especially in the screen game. 

Lance Louis: C+

Louis wasn't great but he wasn't the problem either. He could have done a better job in the running game but his backs didn't help the cause and the box was stacked for most of the second half. 

Gabe Carimi: B

Carimi had the tough task of slowing down rookie Robert Quinn and he did a nice job. Quin had no sacks and only hit the quarterback one time. 

Defensive Line

Julius Peppers
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Julius Peppers: B+

Peppers was very good in making sure the Rams accounted for him at all times. He finished with half a sack but most importantly he opened up so many avenues for the other linemen. 

Israel Idonije: A

Finally, Idonije had himself a big ball game. He was all over the field making plays and being a disruptive force. He finished the game with 2.5 sacks and hit the quarterback four times. 

Stephen Paea: A

Paea had a sack and provided tremendous push up the middle the entire game. The running game was terrible for the Rams and Paea had a lot to do with that. 

Henry Melton: C

Melton has been the standout the first couple of weeks but was quiet in this game. He had just a couple tackles. 

Amobi Okoye: B+

Okoye was awesome as a rotational lineman. He made big plays when he was on the field and had a sack to go with a couple quarterback hits. 

Shea McClellin: C

When he was on the field he didn't get much of a pass rush. He was in the backfield a couple times but ended the game with no defensive statistics. 

Linebackers

Brian Urlacher
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Brian Urlacher: B+

The extra time off must have helped Urlacher. He roamed the middle of the field and punished whoever came into his zone. He was key in shutting down the running game and broke up a couple receptions with jarring hits. 

Lance Briggs: B+

Briggs had a couple pass deflections and led the team in tackles. Another solid day at the office for him. 

Nick Roach: C+

Roach was very quiet but then again he didn't get too many chances. He finished with two tackles. 

Secondary

Tim Jennings
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Tim Jennings: A

Jennings has been a different player this year and today he was fantastic again. Both turnovers forced by the Bears were plays by him. 

Charles Tillman: B+

You didn't hear Tillman's name because he wasn't needed. Not too many balls were thrown his way so he stayed quiet. He had four tackles in the game. 

D.J. Moore: C

When Danny Amendola was lined up in the slot he was able to work Moore for a couple catches. Moore often bit too much on the out fake showing his usual aggressiveness. 

Chris Conte: B

Like Tillman Conte was quiet because he wasn't tested. He did provide great coverage in the middle of the field causing Bradford to hold on to the ball too long at times. 

Major Wright: B

Wright had a nice game and was rewarded with a pick six on a deflection. Bonus points as always for him when he finishes the game healthy. 

Coaching

Mike Tice
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Lovie Smith: B+

Smith needed his team to bounce back after the debacle against the Packers and controversy surrounding his quarterback. Even when the game was close you never felt like the Rams could take control of the game. His biggest mistake was the time out before the half leading to three points for the Rams. 

Mike Tice: B-

His offense came out a little more conservative and it worked. Still they struggled to score points and the offensive line was not great. He will have to work on pass protection and Cutler getting rid of the ball quickly before they go to Dallas. 

Rod Marinelli: A

Right now the Bears defense is one of the best in the league and Marinelli is doing a great job with that group. His forte has always been the defensive line and they are dominating right now. Six sacks for the team has them atop the leader board in the NFL. 

Dave Toub: A

Special teams rebounded well after a rough game in Green Bay. Devin Hester had a little bounce in his step causing the Rams to avoid him and Robbie Gould was perfect again. Adam Podlesh did a solid job in the punting game and the coverage was outstanding the whole game.