Bears vs. Eagles: Full Report Card Grades for Chicago
Hollywood wouldn't be mean enough to script a start like this for the Chicago Bears.
After losing in Week 1, Jay Cutler and the Bears hit Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles and looked game during the first half before an implosion of epic proportions in the second.
The end result was three turnovers in an eventual 29-14 embarrassment at home in which Cutler and several other key names left the game with injuries. A hobbled defense let rookie Carson Wentz have his way, and the offense behind a new-look line couldn't run the ball well even before Cutler left with an injury.
Within, let's take a look at a full list of game grades for the Bears from the disappointing showing.
Quarterback
1 of 10
To start, not counting the first drive, Cutler looked good.
Cutler's early strong performance in large part came thanks to smart coaching. Knowing the new offensive line would continue to struggle, the plan called for more quick-hitting throws, and Cutler smartly exploited a rough Philadelphia secondary by going to Alshon Jeffery.
In the second half, though, Cutler fumbled the ball away, then threw an ugly interception perhaps influenced by the hand injury that wound up knocking him out of the game. He finished with 157 passing yards and an interception.
It was an erratic, ugly night for Cutler. Unfortunately, that's not too out of the ordinary.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
Monday was an ugly, ugly performance for Chicago running back Jeremy Langford.
The Michigan State product ran for all of five yards in the first half on the way to finishing with 28 yards and a score on 11 carries. The score, though, gets crossed out on account of an ugly fumble in the second half.
Luckily for Langford, this grade doesn't tank as far as it should because of Jordan Howard, the rookie who looked like the only notable player Monday. Howard was efficient, rushing three times for 22 yards and providing the only real burst for the offense.
It wouldn't come as much of a shock for the two backs to split the duties more evenly as the season continues.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Jeffery would have had a gigantic game had the offense gone to him more often.
Instead, Cutler ignored Jeffery as the game wore on, meaning the No. 1 wideout finished with seven targets, of which he caught five for 96 yards.
Really, the same could be said for Kevin White. He received six targets and still looked a bit lost while learning the paces. He managed four catches for 36 yards, getting more attention from backup Brian Hoyer than Cutler.
Eddie Royal, albeit quietly, caught four passes for 52 yards on six targets.
Long story short, if the offense had been more efficient and able to keep the ball, all involved would have had a much bigger night.
Grade: C+
Offensive Line
4 of 10
As expected, the Chicago offensive line didn't cover up all of its issues from Week 1.
With new guard Josh Sitton, Cody Whitehair starting at center and free-agent add Bobby Massie playing tackle, the line got consistently smoked by the Philadelphia pass rush.
The numbers might not show it, as Cutler only took three sacks. But as mentioned, the game plan called for a way to compensate for the known issue. Breakdowns still hurt the offense, somewhat including the apparent play in which Cutler hurt his hand.
Never mind the stunning lack of running room. The Bears have some talented players in the trenches, but as everyone knew going into Monday, it wasn't a one-week fix.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Where to start?
The Bears coughed up 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground Monday—an iffy performance where the blame begins in the trenches first and foremost.
There, Eddie Goldman didn't look like much of a factor before leaving with an injury in the second half, and neither did the rest of the names around him.
Chicago defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had to bring more than a few blitzes just to pressure a rookie and shutter the rush. But as a whole, the front seven didn't seem like it showed up, which didn't do much to help a hobbled secondary.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
Like the week before, linebacker was a bright spot for the Bears Monday night.
That's only saying so much. Danny Trevathan had a strong game despite battling an injury, and Jerrell Freeman was all over the field, registering big hits and making plays.
Perhaps most impressive, though, was Willie Young, who got several pressures on the day out of the linebacker spot and looked like he will have a strong season overall if he receives more chances.
Still, another solid showing here could only do so much with an ineffective trench game in front of it and an injured secondary behind it.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
The secondary was a mixed bag Monday night.
On one hand, Tracy Porter, Jacoby Glenn, Deiondre' Hall and Bryce Callahan put on strong performances at times.
On the other, it was hardly consistent and came against a rookie quarterback.
In all seriousness, though, it was good to see Glenn and Hall make some key plays on breakups and such with the unit still missing Kyle Fuller. The key now is keeping up the quality showings down the road while Fuller works his way back into the fray.
Given the lack of a rush in front of the unit, it is easier said than done.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Royal took a punt back 65 yards to the house in the fourth quarter.
To make it 29-14.
Seriously, that is about as positive as it gets for Chicago's special teams. Punter Pat O'Donnell looked lost, pinning just one of his four attempts inside a 20-yard line. Kicker Connor Barth not only missed his lone field-goal attempt, he almost botched an extra point and had Soldier Field chanting Robbie Gould's name.
Had Royal not scored a meaningless touchdown, this would be an outright "F."
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
To John Fox's credit, the Bears didn't look terrible right out of the gates Monday, and there is truly only so much he can do when the injuries start to pile up.
This isn't New England, where years and years of smart drafting insulate the team from an injury bug having a major effect. This is Chicago, where Fox continues to try to work around a roster with paper-thin depth.
Fox didn't have any major gaffes like last week from a challenge or game-management standpoint. But he also had an offense that forgot Jeffery was on the field, couldn't run the ball and a defense that eventually folded in the face of a rookie quarterback.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | C+ |
| WR/TE | C+ |
| OL | D |
| DL | D |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | C+ |
| ST | C |
| Coaching | D |
| Cumulative Grade | C |
This isn't last week, where a loss could get glossed over by the fact the Bears showed some encouraging signs the team could work on while turning into a competitive group.
No, this is more like rock bottom, where injuries struck names such as Cutler, Adrian Amos, Lamarr Houston, Eddie Goldman, Trevathan, Bryce Callahan and Ka'Deem Carey, to name a few.
This is rock bottom, where a prime-time game against a rookie quarterback looked like an easy portion of the schedule—a way for the Bears to get everything clicking before a push in the NFC North.
With less than 10 percent of 0-2 teams making the playoffs since 2007, per Joe Osborne of Odds Shark, the conversation around the Bears changes now. Fox has to get his guys ready to hit Sunday Night Football on the road against the Dallas Cowboys in a hurry.
The question is simple: Who will be healthy enough to give it a go and avoid an 0-3 hole?
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