Bears vs. 49ers: Full Report Card Grades for Chicago
The Chicago Bears hibernated through the snow for almost two full quarters before waking up and taking care of business in 26-6 fashion against the San Francisco 49ers.
Chicago didn't show up to play at first, easily getting shoved around by the one-win 49ers. But a touchdown before the half and right out of it gave the Bears an advantage the 49ers didn't have a chance of countering.
The star of the show, as expected in the snowy conditions, was rookie back Jordan Howard, who rushed for three touchdowns.
Sprinkle in a strong defensive performance, especially by backups, and the Bears secured an easy third win on the year. Let's take a look at full game grades.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Matt Barkley was stellar in the snow Sunday, when allowed.
Barkley spent much of the first half handing the ball off before the coaching staff decided he was allowed to risk taking to the air in the shoddy environment.
Barkley responded in a big way, finishing 11-of-18 with 192 yards. He put together the three strong scoring drives before giving it to Howard in short ranges.
Surprisingly accurate and mobile given the weather, Barkley went a long way to ensuring he sticks around as a backup next year.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
Howard's stat line speaks for itself—the rookie ran 32 times for 117 yards and three scores.
Detractors might point out his 3.7 per-carry average, but given the slippery circumstances and the fact the opposition understood the Bears wouldn't pass much, Howard ripped off quite a nice day.
In fact, Matt Forte was the last Bears running back to score three rushing touchdowns in a game.
That's some prestigious company for a rookie who has the starting gig locked down.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
After a week in which wideouts dropped more than 10 passes and a pair of game-winning scores, Chicago's skill-position players cleaned up their act Sunday.
Well, for the most part.
Joshua Bellamy led all receivers with four catches for 93 yards, yet he had two notable drops for big gains while wide open.
Alas, Cameron Meredith caught three balls for 67 yards and Deonte Thompson two for 19.
Playing in rough conditions and without Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and Zach Miller, the players left standing had a rather strong day.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line entered Sunday down Josh Sitton, making the lanes paved for Howard all the more impressive.
Arguably even better, the line only surrendered one sack of Barkley. On the left side, guard Eric Kush stepped in and had notable plays in both facets.
The only negative on the day was center Cody Whitehair going down with an injury. A surprisingly stout rookie forced to play out of position, Whitehair has been one of the biggest positives of the year.
Keep an eye out for injury updates with Whitehair, as the line can't afford to lose anyone else.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Chicago defensive line showed up big Sunday, with Eddie Goldman and Akiem Hicks leading the way.
Goldman, who has had his injury issues this year, put on a show while consistently opening up holes for linebackers to make plays, if not making them himself. Hicks was much of the same story, with his number typically around opponents in the backfield, too.
The result? Five sacks of Colin Kaepernick and six total. Hicks had two of those sacks, while Goldman tallied one.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
The linebackers benefited greatly from the mentioned play by the defensive line.
With how adaptive and dominant they were, though, they might have pulled off the great play without a line at all.
Down Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkoski stepped up huge with nine total tackles and always seemed to be around the ball.
Willie Young grabbed himself another sack while applying strong pressure, but the real star of the show here was Leonard Floyd. The rookie was unstoppable, recording two sacks and a notable safety near the end of the game.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
A beat up secondary might have had a much more difficult time without bad weather keeping passing games grounded.
Luckily for the Bears, the unit dodged that bullet and held San Francisco quarterbacks to a 5-of-15 mark with six yards.
Call it almost a bye week for the secondary, which needs all the help it can get. The unit dodged another bullet in the form of injury, with Tracy Porter going down but eventually returning.
With any luck, the unit will eventually get Kyle Fuller back in the fold too.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Given the weather circumstances, one might have predicted the Bears had a miserable performance on special teams.
Nope. Well, mostly nope.
Pat O'Donnell downed two of his six punts inside a 20-yard line and Connor Barth made his lone attempt from 45 yards out.
The negatives came more in freak execution, with the 49ers blocking a punt and one of the Chicago returners fumbling away the ball. Those problems knock the score here but shouldn't overwhelm a strong day for a unit in terrible circumstances.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
Through a quarter and a half, it looked like head coach John Fox and his staff would earn a terrible grade for coming in with a game plan and sticking with it no matter what.
Credit goes to Fox, though—the Bears entered the game thinking Barkley couldn't throw well in the poor weather. When the game started spiraling out of control, Fox took the risk.
It worked. Barkley performed better than expected through the air and set up all three touchdowns like a veteran should. The play calls themselves were great as well for the most part, giving the staff a real feather in the cap.
One could argue the merits of games called like this all season, but it is best to simply enjoy a job well done and hope it translates to future weeks.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | B |
| DL | B |
| LB | A |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
Outside of stumbling through the opening gates and two gaffes on special teams, the Bears played a complete game for perhaps the first time this season Sunday.
Chicago, injury-riddled roster or not, controlled the line of scrimmage and bullied the 49ers, slamming the door on a rushing attack while riding its own to a win.
For perspective's sake, it is important not to overreact to a dismissal of a one-win team in the snow, and especially a one-win team in the snow not accustomed to bad weather of any sort.
But it's also important to avoid discrediting the Bears for a strong performance. Sunday was the best example yet of this team's bright future thanks to players like Whitehair, Howard and Floyd, to name a few.
This holiday season, that is a win worth celebrating even if it is only the third on the year.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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