Bears vs. Lions: Full Report Card Grades for Chicago
The Chicago Bears are in a weird spot after Sunday's 17-14 win against the Detroit Lions.
Chicago snapped a six-game skid, getting the first win against the Lions since 2012 to move to 1-3. But the team did so with backup quarterback Brian Hoyer under center and backup running back Jordan Howard in the backfield.
Both were incredibly impressive, but one could argue the Bears move forward with more questions than answers.
Regardless, the Bears stepped up in a big way with improved offensive play-calling and an improved defense, and some boneheaded Detroit mistakes mixed in for good measure.
With the first win of the year finally in the books, let's take a look at grades for the Bears before the team turns its attention to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Get ready to hear the phrase "quarterback controversy" a lot.
Chicago brought on Hoyer because he is a seasoned veteran who has won starting gigs in the past. He looked as such Sunday, throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
Perhaps even better, the 30-year-old did it while getting six different names three or more receptions, which went a long way in keeping the Detroit defense guessing and unable to commit to anything through the air or when it came to defending the run.
Sunday was by far the best Chicago offense the team has fielded this season. The question is simple—would Jay Cutler have the same success behind an improved line now that the play-calling has seen a dramatic improvement as well?
By the way he played, Hoyer doesn't want the world to find out.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
Howard was the most-hyped player going into Sunday's matchup.
The rookie had shown bursts here and there over the first few weeks of the season, though he had plenty of bad runs as well while a new-look offensive line got used to playing together.
The hype was much deserved, though, as Howard turned 23 carries into 111 yards, good for a 4.8 per-carry average. He also caught three targets for 21 yards.
While a small sample size and against a terrible defense, Howard showed he has the talent to carry the offense in the backfield on his own, which is nothing but good news with Jeremy Langford on the shelf.
Really, it's not too wild to say Howard's performance was reminiscent of Matt Forte's debut game all those years ago. The trick is hoping he's as successful from here on out.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Anyone who watched Sunday's broadcast could almost feel the Kevin White breakout game on the cusp of happening.
It didn't, but White put on a show anyway, receiving a team-high nine targets and turning it into six grabs for 55 yards. Alshon Jeffery flanked him well by catching three for 46.
The real story at wideout, though, was veteran Eddie Royal. Playing all over the field, the 30-year-old was the most important receiver for Hoyer, as he caught all seven of his targets for 111 yards and a score.
Don't forget tight end Zach Miller, either, who caught three passes for 31 yards and a score.
If anything, Sunday is proof the receiving threats in Chicago can live up to potential so long as the calls from the coaching staff make sense. It was the perfect example of everyone firing on all cylinders.
Grade: A
Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line deserves plenty of credit for Sunday's victory.
After a few up-and-down weeks but encouraging signs, it seems the unit now led by Josh Sitton has come close to where it needs to be.
While Hoyer took a pair of sacks, he otherwise had most of the day to throw and runners had plenty of room on most downs. Center Cody Whitehair was once again the most impressive presence in the trenches given his inexperience and being thrust into the lineup.
Bobby Massie still struggled at times on the right edge, but it is becoming harder and harder for one player's mistake to tank the entire line now that everyone seems to be on the same page.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
What a difference a week can make.
Last week, Will Sutton looked exposed while playing in place of the injured Eddie Goldman. Not Sunday—Sutton was a strong anchor for the defense, pushing to the proper sides after getting off the snap quick and overall making his presence felt often.
Beside Sutton, both Akiem Hicks and Cornelius Washington were able to record sacks on the day. The pressure helped fluster Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford into just 213 passing yards and a pair of interceptions.
It was a similar story on the ground, where Detroit rushers only managed 66 yards, 17 belonging to Stafford.
Call it a reassuring sign for the Bears, especially if the unit can start getting healthier by the week.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
Another week, another strong performance from the Chicago linebackers.
The task this week was more difficult than usual—stop slippery receivers over the middle, a super-athletic tight end in Eric Ebron and various pass-catching backs without Danny Trevathan on the field.
Easy enough. Jerrell Freeman put on another clinic while leading the team in total tackles at seven. Backups such as Nick Kwiatkoski had solid performances, and the recently promoted John Timu had one major notable stop by timing the snap properly and blowing up a play late in the game.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was rookie Leonard Floyd, who didn't see much in the way of playing time. It will start an interesting conversation on development vs. winning in the coming weeks.
Sunday it was winning, and the linebackers were a big part of it.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Sunday was more of a mixed bag for the Chicago secondary.
For every solid coverage play by Bryce Callahan or bone-crunching hit by Adrian Amos, there was someone such as Jacoby Glenn out of position and coughing up a big play.
Overall, though, a positive showing for a unit that learned last week Kyle Fuller won't be joining it anytime soon. Amos, easily the best safety in Chicago in a long time, posted seven tackles and so did running mate Harold Jones-Quartey.
Glenn and Deiondre' Hall recorded interceptions on the day, though the former's came on a hilarious gaffe by Detroit that got Golden Tate benched.
While helping create turnovers and showing promise, Sunday made it clear the secondary has some further development to do. That's not necessarily a bad thing, so long as the players at levels in front of the unit continue to improve as well.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
What in the world was that?
Chicago's special teams has seemingly managed to get worse by the week, culminating in Sunday's hiccup where the kick-coverage team allowed Detroit's Andre Roberts to go 85 yards for a score on a punt return to make it a 17-14 game with less than two minutes left in regulation.
Luckily for the Bears, the coaching staff iced Detroit before an onside kick via timeout and recovered the live attempt or this grade would have been worse.
That's not all—while booming on a 49-yard average, punter Pat O'Donnell didn't have any of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Kicker Connor Barth didn't make it any easier to forget Robbie Gould, missing one of his two attempts.
Specials teams has some work to do if the Bears want to keep winning.
Grade: D
Coaching
9 of 10
Let's get this out of the way first—Chicago head coach John Fox whiffed on a challenge Sunday.
It didn't end up hurting the team, nor did it help that White, who is essentially a rookie, called for Fox to challenge a catch ruled incomplete and trusted him.
Other than that, Sunday was smooth sailing by the coaching staff. The defense didn't look horribly out of place or lost given all the injuries.
More impressive than anything, though, was the job done by offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. The offense was downright putrid over the first three weeks, with the calls not playing to any player's strength and guys like Miller going ignored.
Sunday, Loggains executed a brilliant plan focused on zipping short throws around the field and a zone-running scheme suited to the strengths of all involved.
In fact, one has to wonder how the Bears would have fared over the first three games of the year if the play-calling had been as crisp.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | B |
| DL | B |
| LB | A |
| Secondary | B |
| ST | D |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
The Bears deserve a large amount of praise.
Maybe it is too late to make a playoff run given the uphill battle 0-2 teams face in rebounding and qualifying for the postseason. But there is something to be said for an 0-3 team showing up in a stadium not even close to full without key starters and getting a win against an opponent it hasn't defeated in more than three seasons.
Chicago did that Sunday, showing an ability to adapt and figure out what works best for the roster available. The difference between great teams and average ones is the ability to figure that out during the summer. Chicago didn't, but nobody should have expected the Bears to be great in the first place.
Clearly, Chicago is a developing team figuring this out while hoping the roster gets healthy. The team can compete with Hoyer under center and has exciting young weapons such as Howard and White. It even has a starting quarterback perhaps ready to suit up soon.
The Bears next get a struggling Colts team, which is a good opportunity for another win. So long as the coaching keeps guiding the players like it did Sunday, the climb back to .500 figures will continue.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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