Bears vs. Vikings: Full Report Card Grades for Chicago
The Chicago Bears ended a trying 2016 season with a dud, taking a 38-10 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Chicago looked worse than usual to start the game, falling into a 17-0 hole and only getting on the board offensively thanks to a trick play featuring a wide receiver throwing a touchdown pass to quarterback Matt Barkley.
In fitting fashion, it was the only touchdown the Bears scored all day. Their depleted roster simply couldn't rise to the occasion in a tough road contest against a rival.
Before shutting the door on the entire campaign, let's take a look at full game grades for the ugly loss.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Barkley entered Sunday with eight interceptions over his past two outings and added two more.
The first interception was a doozy. Barkley didn't put the ball high enough and was picked off.
Such was the theme of the day for the Chicago quarterback, who seemed inaccurate and uncomfortable even in clean pockets. He finished the day with a 10-of-14 mark with 125 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
David Fales eventually replaced Barkley and went 2-of-5.
The performance doesn't change the fact Barkley can play a key backup role next year, but the Bears wanted to see more.
Grade: D
Running Back
2 of 10
Jordan Howard made history Sunday, passing Matt Forte in the record books while recording the most single-season rushing yards by a rookie back in franchise history.
Howard was simply his normal self, taking 23 carries for 135 yards on a 5.9 yards-per-carry average. He was the lone bright spot on the day, turning negative plays positive and ripping off big runs.
To top it all off, Howard shattered the record on a 17-yard rush.
With 93 yards at halftime, it was clear Howard deserved to be the centerpiece of the offense. It's a lesson the Bears will carry into the offseason and beyond, especially after Jeremy Langford coughed up a fumble on limited carries Sunday.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Chicago's weapons didn't have a ton of chances to contribute through the air against the Vikings.
Cameron Meredith, at least, got to cash in on the trick play by throwing a touchdown to Barkley.
Meredith has looked like the No. 1 wideout for a few weeks. He led the team in receiving on Sunday, catching four passes for 61 yards.
Alshon Jeffery once again didn't seem like a priority and went without a catch in the first half. He finished the game with one catch for 10 yards.
Silver lining time—Meredith's continued emergence is a good thing, and Jeffery's sagging stats might make his price tag cheaper this offseason.
Grade: C
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line did what it could Sunday, sometimes countering a Linval Joseph-led defensive line intent on crushing Barkley.
Barkley only took one sack, as did Fales, though consistent pressure was part of the reason the starter looked so frantic in the pocket most of the day.
Though most of the credit goes to Howard, the line did open up nice running lanes. That isn't shocking after the unit dominated the Vikings in a win earlier this year.
Still, not a terrible day at the office for a line missing key cogs such as Kyle Long.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Akiem Hicks came back to life Sunday after going missing in action for a few weeks.
Other than that, it was a quiet day for the Chicago defensive line. The unit allowed a miserable Vikings rushing attack to tally up 124 yards and a score on a 4.4 yards-per-carry average.
To top it off, though Hicks and Co. forced some rushed throws, the defense as a whole didn't tally a sack of Sam Bradford.
Without Eddie Goldman and others, this wasn't the biggest surprise in the world, though the ripple effect on the rest of the unit can't go ignored.
Grade: D
Linebacker
6 of 10
Everyone going into Sunday had to know the linebackers would have a rough time against the Vikings.
After all, standout rookie Leonard Floyd was a scratch after suffering a concussion the week prior. The team also scratched Pernell McPhee.
This left the Bears with a hodgepodge of names in the linebacking corps Sunday, and it showed—the unit rarely applied pressure. One of the times it did, Bradford took off for a 24-yard run.
Which, of course, about sums up the day for the Bears on the whole. Down to depth pieces, the linebackers couldn't counter a healthy offense.
Grade: D
Secondary
7 of 10
Cre'Von LeBlanc came away as one of the bright spots for the Bears Sunday.
LeBlanc recorded an interception in the third quarter on a downright great play, a superb way for the rising young player to end his season.
Otherwise, not much to see here. Tracy Porter didn't play much, and others such as Harold Jones-Quartey seriously struggled in coverage. The result was Bradford gunning for three touchdowns in one of his best performances of the year.
Not that this comes as a surprise, seeing as a grueling season finally took its toll on a Bears unit that will need extensive work in this offseason.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
In a normal loss this year, the Chicago special teams usually received a high grade for doing their jobs well and not making mistakes.
Not in Week 17.
Connor Barth hit his lone attempt, and Pat O'Donnell did his job well, but the same doesn't apply for kick returns and coverage.
Bralon Addison botched a punt return that led to a Vikings touchdown. The coverage teams managed to give up several large returns, too, putting the defense in bad spots.
It's fitting, really, that one of Chicago's solid areas collapsed to close the year.
Grade: D
Coaching
9 of 10
Sunday's loss falls on the coaches as well as the players.
On the offensive side, head coach John Fox and others decided to ride Howard like many have wanted them to do all year. They also helped dial up the trick play while the offense struggled.
But the coaches expected too much from a depleted offense on the road. Same story on defense, where coordinator Vic Fangio didn't seem to have his guys ever adjust to tight end Kyle Rudolph, who cruised to 11 catches for 117 yards and one score.
Again, it's fitting the coaching staff couldn't come up with a competitive plan and failed to adjust. If there was a way to summarize the season, it's this hiccup by Fox and his staff.
Grade: C
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | D |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | C |
| OL | B |
| DL | D |
| LB | D |
| Secondary | D |
| Special Teams | D |
| Coaching | C |
| Cumulative Grade | C |
The Bears started the season with Jay Cutler at quarterback and ended it with David Fales, which was symbolic of the campaign.
Sunday, Chicago played a game without a large number of starters and paid the price, losing in a blowout to a team it defeated earlier in the season.
There aren't many all-encompassing takeaways from such a defeat to close a three-win season. The Bears have a nice talent base, but it didn't show for much of the season thanks to one of the NFL's most extensive injured reserve lists.
With the season over, the Bears can now turn an eye toward the future. Sunday's loss assured the Bears a top-five draft pick and plenty of time to get regular contributors healthy. Past that, it was one to forget.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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