Bears vs. Cowboys: Full Report Card Grades for Chicago
The Chicago Bears showed up for the Sunday Night Football contest against the Dallas Cowboys.
One might argue the positives end there in the 31-17 loss for the visitors. Sounds harsh, but the Bears entered battered, bruised and trying to throw hodgepodge units together in an effort to avoid falling into the abyss known as 0-3. It didn't work.
The Bears, on the road or not, let Dallas rookie quarterback Dak Prescott walk all over the defense, and the offense led by Brian Hoyer scored three points in the first half.
Granted, few had entered Sunday's odd prime-time affair with expectations for the Bears. But as the grades within for each unit will show, the team didn't put up much of a fight until the second half while already down by more than two scores.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Getting little help from his coaching staff in the sense of a notable strategy, there was only so much Hoyer could do Sunday night.
Hoyer found himself under pressure often and wildly misfired some of his more memorable throws. But he did come to life in the second half, leading a scoring drive and working with what the offensive line and play calls gave him on the way to a 30-of-49 mark for 317 yards and a score.
Still, one has to wonder what Hoyer could have done if allowed to uncork it deep like his rookie counterpart did often. Instead, one could see the Bears man often throwing behind the first-down marker on third down.
Dallas isn't an easy place to play, but Hoyer was clearly rusty and unable to rise above the situation.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
Those who clamor for Jordan Howard to get more play over starting running back Jeremy Langford received more ammunition Sunday night.
Langford once again struggled to do anything of note on the ground, with 23 of his 31 rushing yards coming on a single attempt.
While a rookie, Howard looked more effective, exploding when given even a little daylight on his way to nine carries for 45 yards.
Considering Langford left the game in the second half with an injury, those who want to see more Howard might get their wish soon, regardless of whether things appeared headed in that direction anyway.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It doesn't get more mixed than this.
Given the oddity of the offense, it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear Alshon Jeffery received only seven targets on the day, of which he caught five for 70 yards—numbers highly inflated in garbage time.
Kevin White, on the other hand, had 14 targets tossed his way. Some were air-mailed, and the fact he caught six for 62 yards again speaks to the odd offensive approach more than the skill of the players.
Playing into this theme, veteran Eddie Royal only received three targets.
In a not-so-shocking turn of events, it was tight end Zach Miller reaping the benefits of the conservative attack, catching eight passes for 78 yards and two scores.
Unable or not allowed to get loose down the field, the notable wideouts for the Bears had a quiet day. This might not change until Jay Cutler can return under center, if at all.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
4 of 10
Believe it or not, the Chicago offensive line—at least at times—looked improved on the road in Dallas.
Again, at times, the running game had huge lanes to run through. Observers who have now for some reason watched all three Bears games probably let out an audible gasp when Hoyer had a nice clean pocket and time to push the ball down the field.
In fact, the game plan almost looked like it was calling for quick-hitting plays to compensate for a poor performance from the line, but the opposite happened.
It's a good sign, so now the calls have to compensate, and the team needs Cutler back under center.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Unlike the offensive line's gasps of positive plays here and there, the defensive line doesn't have much to talk about here.
The Bears greatly missed Eddie Goldman at nose tackle, and it wasn't hard to see the ripple effect. It didn't help that someone such as Jonathan Bullard suffered an injury, either.
At the point of attack, the battered Bears got whipped. It's why Prescott didn't take a sack and an even bigger reason Dallas rookie back Ezekiel Elliott found room for 140 yards on 30 carries and the Cowboys had time of possession of more than 35 minutes.
Until Goldman and others can come back, this won't change much.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
With Danny Trevathan out of the picture, Chicago needed those around Jerrell Freeman to step up with big performances.
Freeman did his part by leading the team with 12 total tackles, though looking at the list, the next three names underneath him were defensive backs.
Of note, Willie Young seemed to regress this week and Leonard Floyd got exposed in coverage. That last note should make a few fans scratch their heads—what a rookie pass-rusher still developing that trait at the pro level first and foremost was doing in coverage isn't easy to understand.
Coaching oddities or not, the linebackers minus Freeman deserve their fair share of the blame for the loss.
Grade: D+
Secondary
7 of 10
As hinted, the Chicago secondary had a somewhat positive performance Sunday night.
That is, when journeymen defensive backs such as Chris Prosinski weren't getting left on an island and resembling burnt toast by the time the play got blown dead.
Prescott finished with 248 yards and his first-ever passing touchdown on 24 attempts.
Jokes aside, Jacoby Glenn looked solid in coverage and finished with seven total tackles. Harold Jones-Quartey finished with six when not missing from action with a nagging injury. Tracy Porter was his usual self in coverage, and it was Adrian Amos who came up with a major fumble recovery.
A unit still hoping to get Kyle Fuller back looks promising. Maybe it doesn't make gigantic strides this year because of the problems in front of it, but the future looks good for at least one area on the roster.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
In an almost refreshing turn of events, Connor Barth didn't give Bears fans a reason to scream for Robbie Gould this week.
Barth hit his one attempt from 22 yards out and hit all two extra points. Punter Pat O'Donnell, though, only pinned one of his four attempts inside a 20-yard line.
From a return perspective, Chicago players only had one kickoff return and two punt returns. On the opposite spectrum, the kick-coverage units played limited opportunities well, too.
Sometimes a quiet day is better than the alternative.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
The blame starts at the top.
With no embattled quarterback to point the finger at, those who stayed up late Sunday night know what's coming—what in the world happened?
Entering the game 0-2, the Bears came out flat and uninspired with the calls by the coaching staff to match. The offense didn't take risks or try to strike balance, and the defense—other than the secondary and Freeman—seemed to go through the motions.
Which doesn't make sense to anyone who watched the second half. With the game essentially already decided, the Bears opened up the playbook, got guys like White involved and scored 14 points over the final two frames.
Whatever the reason for the difference has to change in a hurry. Until it does, the Bears might not win a game.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | C+ |
| WR/TE | C |
| OL | C+ |
| DL | D |
| LB | D |
| Secondary | B |
| ST | B |
| Coaching | D |
| Cumulative Grade | C |
The Bears don't have a lot of time to right the ship.
Week 4 and a potential 0-4 abyss await the Bears if the roster cannot get healthy and the coaching staff get a handle on what works and what needs to go on the shelf.
Whether it is more carries for Howard, getting Miller more involved or having the gall to go deep with a rookie like White—not to mention never ignoring Jeffery again—the Chicago offense can post points if the approach is solid.
Easier said than done. But it is quite clear the offense will need to carry the team for a hobbled, ineffective defense, and this lesson won't get much clearer than next week when the Detroit Lions pay the Bears a visit.
There, Chicago has to find what little positives emerged Sunday night and apply them. If not, heads might begin to roll alongside a rebuild.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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