Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears: Full Report Card Grades for Chicago
The Chicago Bears desperately needed a win in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, and they came away victorious on Sunday afternoon. Chicago put up 468 yards of total offense and came away with a 21-13 victory.
The Bears' victory at home marked their first win at Soldier Field this season, as well as Jay Cutler's first win at Soldier Field as a starter since October 10, 2013.
Cutler put up 330 passing yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but Chicago's star receiving duo and star running back stole the show.
Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery combined for 18 catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Matt Forte finished with 26 carries for 117 yards and hauled in six catches for 58 yards. For the first time in weeks, all three of Chicago's top offensive weapons made a big impact on the field.
After the Bears failed to produce a win in their last three games, head coach Marc Trestman let his team know it still had all the necessary pieces in place to win football games.
"Coach Trestman showed us that the guys who made those plays are still in the locker room," said Forte after the game, via ChicagoFootball.com's Jeff Arnold. "(Trestman said) we could still go out and do this and so the confidence was still there."
On the other side of the football, Chicago's defense held Minnesota to just 243 total yards, and defensive end Jared Allen still has faith in his teammates.
"People questioned the character of our locker room, but we know what we have," Allen said, via Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com. "You can only get beat up so many times before you fight back."
Chicago will need to continue to fight back if its has any hope of making the playoffs this season. The Bears' win against the Vikings helped them improve to 4-6 on the season, but they still have a long ways to go in the playoff chase.
Here are our report-card grades for each Bears unit following their Week 11 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Just like he has done all season, Jay Cutler had his share of ups and downs on Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings.
He finished the game with 330 passing yards on 31 completions with three touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 98.0, but he threw two more interceptions, increasing his season total to 12.
Cutler's first interception came late in the first half when Chicago appeared to have no idea what they were trying to do on offense. The Bears got the ball back with just a little over a minute remaining in the half, but they opted to run the football on first down and allowed nearly 30 seconds to run off the clock. With just 15 seconds remaining in the half, Cutler forced a throw and was picked off by Minnesota's Xavier Rhodes.
His second interception came in the third quarter when he forced a ball toward tight end Martellus Bennett. Bennett failed to look back in time, and Cutler's pass was picked off by safety Harrison Smith.
His touchdown throw to Alshon Jeffery showed off his tremendous athleticism, and the first touchdown pass he threw to Brandon Marshall showed off his tremendous arm strength. He did well on his underneath throws and was willing to step up in the pocket, but his turnovers could have doomed the Bears on Sunday afternoon.
If it were not for his two interceptions, Cutler would have graded out with an "A," but because of his mistakes, his overall grade took a hit.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
Few running backs in the league have been as steady and consistent as Matt Forte this season.
Despite the Vikings boasting the league's ninth-best defense heading into Sunday's game, Forte was able to carve up their defense for 175 total yards on 32 total touches. 670 The Score talk show host Laurence Holmes was impressed by Forte's performance:
"Forte beasted today: 32 touches 175 total yards. He's such a weapon! #Bears
— Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) November 16, 2014"
He rushed for 49 yards on eight carries in the first half and finished the game with 117 rushing yards on 26 carries, including a long of 32 yards.
In addition to his 117 rushing yards, Forte also hauled in six catches for 58 yards with a long of 30 yards.
The team seemed unwilling to feed him the football in the first half, but he helped take precious time off the clock near the end of regulation with the team holding on to an eight-point lead.
Even when the offense does not appear to be clicking, Matt Forte has been able to get things going. He has consistently been one of the team's highest-graded players this season, and that was once again the case on Sunday afternoon.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The Chicago Bears have two of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Marshall and Jeffery, and both went off on Sunday afternoon against the Vikings.
Marshall finished the game with seven catches for 90 yards with two touchdowns, including this great touchdown grab in the fourth quarter, via 87.7 The Game radio host Jarrett Payton:
"This dude @BMarshall is a beast! https://t.co/Uszbbj5EPy
— Jarrett W. Payton (@paytonsun) November 16, 2014"
Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen was impressed by Marshall's ability to box out Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson on the touchdown reception:
"Impressive finish by Marshall on the TD catch. Box out Robinson & play the ball up top.
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) November 16, 2014"
In addition to Marshall's strong day, Jeffery caught 11 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown.
Both Marshall and Jeffery took advantage of Robinson on Sunday afternoon when they were matched up against him, via the Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer:
"Poor Josh Robinson. Just isn't big enough or strong enough against these Bears WRs.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) November 16, 2014"
The Bears were without third wide receiver Josh Morgan on Sunday, but they did welcome Marquess Wilson back to the lineup after he missed the team's first nine games with a broken clavicle. He was targeted four times and hauled in two catches for 11 yards.
Tight end Martellus Bennett had four catches for 29 yards, while reserve Dante Rosario finished with one catch for seven yards, which resulted in a first down in the first quarter.
Overall, Sunday was one of Marshall and Jeffery's best combined games of the season. Because of their solid production, the wide receivers and tight ends garnered the team's highest grade of the game.
Grade: A+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
With right tackle Jordan Mills sidelined with a rib injury, Michael Ola made another start at right tackle on Sunday afternoon.
Since Ola was at right tackle after starting at left guard last week, backup center Brian de la Puente filled in at left guard.
Chicago gave up some early pressure on Cutler, but it did not give up any sacks to a Vikings defense that was tied for third best in the league with 30 sacks heading into Sunday's game.
Other than a couple of costly penalties by De La Puente and right guard Kyle Long, the offensive line played a solid game on Sunday afternoon.
De La Puente showed off his ability to get out front on screen passes, while Long showed off his strength and tenacity in the running game.
After a slow start, left tackle Jermon Bushrod played a solid game against Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen. He struggled early in the running game, but he came into his own late in the contest.
It was not their best performance of the season, but the offensive line helped Matt Forte gain over 100 yards rushing and kept Cutler upright all afternoon, resulting in their best overall grade in weeks.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Jared Allen squared off against the Vikings on Sunday afternoon for the first time as a member of the Chicago Bears after spending the last six seasons in Minnesota.
After a very slow start to the season, Allen entered Sunday's game with just 1.5 sacks to his name. He resembled his old self against the Vikings, registering one sack, five tackles, one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits.
Allen had no problem going up against former first-round pick Matt Kalil on Sunday afternoon. Kalil struggled with Allen throughout the game, particularly with Allen's jump off the football. The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Master Tesfatsion called Allen's performance his best of the season:
"Jared Allen having his best game this season against the #Vikings. Kalil, once again, isn't looking good.
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) November 16, 2014"
Not to be outdone by Allen, defensive end Willie Young came away with his eighth sack of the season late in the fourth quarter.
Defensive end David Bass, along with defensive tackles Jeremiah Ratliff, Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton all finished with one tackle apiece.
The Bears may have only sacked quarterback Teddy Bridgewater twice, but the defensive line was able to put constant pressure on him throughout the game. In addition to keeping Bridgewater at bay, they helped limit the Vikings to 96 yards rushing.
Grade: A
Linebacker
6 of 10
After looking like a shell of his former self for much of the season, linebacker Lance Briggs looked a bit like the old Lance Briggs on Sunday afternoon.
Briggs did give up a touchdown to tight end Rhett Ellison when he failed to pick him up on a Vikings run fake, but he ended up playing one of his better games on Sunday after struggling for much of this season, via 670 The Score's Holmes:
"Briggs has a had a decent game. TD was ugly, but a couple pressures and a stuff today.
— Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) November 16, 2014"
Strong-side linebacker Shea McClellin and middle linebacker D.J. Williams both finished with two tackles and came up big on a couple of running plays in the second half.
McClellin has struggled at times this year against play action, but he showed good discipline on at least one occasion Sunday afternoon, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune:
"McClellin disciplined on that play-action keeper. Forced a second-and-10 throw away.
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) November 16, 2014"
Second-year man Jon Bostic led all Chicago linebackers with five tackles.
For the first time in weeks, Chicago's linebackers held their own, particularly in the middle of the field. The linebackers have struggled against opposing tight ends across the middle this season, but they held all three Vikings tight ends to just two combined catches.
Ellison, Chase Ford and Kyle Rudolph were held to a total of just two catches for 11 yards with one touchdown.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
When the Bears signed Lamarr Houston, Willie Young and Jared Allen this offseason to improve their defensive line, the assumption was they would be able to pressure opposing quarterbacks and make life easier for the secondary.
That pressure finally came from the defensive line against the Vikings on Sunday, leaving the secondary to reap all the benefits.
Only nine of Teddy Bridgewater's 18 pass completions were hauled in by wide receivers. Charles Johnson had the most success, hauling in six catches for 87 yards, but most of his damage came when the Bears were playing more of a preventative defense late in the fourth quarter. Cordarrelle Patterson and Greg Jennings combined for just three catches for 28 yards.
Chicago cornerback Demontre Hurst led the team with six tackles, but he struggled with Johnson near the end of the game. Safety Chris Conte finished with four tackles, while cornerback Tim Jennings finished with two tackles.
Strong safety Ryan Mundy was quiet all afternoon, but he did come away with the game-sealing interception.
The Bears secondary was not asked to do too much on Sunday afternoon, and they benefited greatly by the pressure the defensive line got up front.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Each week it appears to be a different adventure for Chicago's special teams units. On Sunday afternoon, special teams coach Joe DeCamillis' unit fell off the rails on several occasions.
After the Vikings went down the field and put three points on the board on their opening drive, Chicago moved the football down the field and looked to kicker Robbie Gould to even up the scoreboard. Gould missed the 47-yard attempt wide right, just his second miss of the season.
Gould also kicked the football out of bounds in the fourth quarter, which gave Minnesota the football at the 40-yard line with just under nine minutes to play in the game.
In addition to Gould's mishaps, Chicago's punt-return unit was caught sleeping on Minnesota's second possession of the game when Andrew Sendejo picked up 48 yards on a fake punt that helped set up Minnesota's first touchdown of the game.
"Vikings fake punt, gain 48 yds on Sendejo run #vikingsfakepunt #CHIvsMIN https://t.co/ArZbZ66fn0
— TotalProSports (@TotalProSports) November 16, 2014"
Linebacker Christian Jones was called for his fourth special teams penalty of the year, while return man Chris Williams averaged just 14 yards per kick return and 5.7 yards per punt return for the afternoon.
Every week Chicago's special teams struggles in some facet of the game, and that was once again the case on Sunday afternoon against Minnesota.
Grade: F
Coaching
9 of 10
Even though the Bears came away with a victory against the Vikings on Sunday afternoon, Trestman once again made a handful of questionable decisions.
After failing to have any sense of urgency near the end of the first half, Trestman decided to put the football in Cutler's hands when the team faced a fourth down on the 1-yard line early in the third quarter.
Instead of having Cutler find one of his big targets in the end zone, Trestman called for a quarterback sweep to Cutler's left. He came up short of the end zone, and the Bears turned the ball over on downs.
Trestman's decision to run Cutler on fourth down led many in the media to question the play call, including the Chicago Tribune's Wiederer and ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson:
"I understand going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1. I don't quite get Cutler on a sweep.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) November 16, 2014"
"Cutler ran hard on 4th down. Effort not the issue. But man, if you're going to run, let Matt Forte carry the ball.
— Jeff Dickerson (@ESPNChiBears) November 16, 2014"
On the other side of the football, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker was a little more aggressive on Sunday afternoon than he has been in recent weeks.
He sent pressure up the middle at times with linebacker Lance Briggs and even sent nickelback Demontre Hurst on a blitz late in the game.
It wasn't Trestman's best-called game of the year, but his team was able to win in spite of his poor decisions.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | A+ |
| OL | B |
| DL | A |
| LB | B+ |
| Secondary | C+ |
| Special Teams | F |
| Coaching | D |
| Cumulative Grade | C+ |
The Bears are now 4-6 on the season following their win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon. While a playoff run may be a long shot, Chicago will have a real chance of improving to 5-6 on the season next Sunday when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers notched just their second win of the season on Sunday afternoon when they defeated the Washington Redskins 27-7.
The Bears will square off against a pair of familiar faces in former head coach Lovie Smith and former starting quarterback Josh McCown. Smith was fired by the Bears following the 2012 season and was named Tampa Bay's head coach this past offseason. McCown dazzled at times last season when Cutler was out with an injury, and he parlayed that success into a two-year, $10 million contract with the Buccaneers.
If Chicago wants to keep its slim playoff hopes alive, this coming Sunday will be a must-win game at Soldier Field.
Record/statistical information provided via email from the Chicago Bears or ESPN.com.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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