Bears vs. Packers: Full Report Card Grades for Chicago
The Chicago Bears made it interesting late, but still came up short when it mattered most against the Green Bay Packers in a Week 15, 30-27 loss.
After allowing 17 points in the third quarter to fall in a major hole, the Bears got to shoveling and wound up tying the game late, correcting mistakes and suddenly remembering Alshon Jeffery was back on the field.
It wasn't enough, though, not with a Packers team hungry for the playoffs desperate to make something happen.
As usual this year, the Bears have plenty of positives to look at after such a loss, though they don't necessarily make the defeat sting any less. Within, let's take a look at full game grades for the Bears.
Quarterback
1 of 10
The wicked cold didn't seem to bother quarterback Matt Barkley too much outside of a few gaffes.
Getting Jeffery back Sunday, Barkley looked comfortable in the first half, throwing for a touchdown and an interception, the latter a Hail Mary heave before halftime.
Barkley wound up finishing with 362 yards and two touchdowns against three interceptions, though a sack fumble at the start of the second half sticks out as a red flag.
Call it one of the oddest days in recent memory. Barkley almost single-handedly tanked the Bears, then turned around and brought them back. The lack of consistency from a backup isn't too surprising.
Grade: C
Running Back
2 of 10
Jordan Howard didn't get many chances to contribute Sunday before the epic comeback began.
The surprising breakout back wound up carrying the ball 17 times for 90 yards on a 5.3 per-carry average. These numbers might have been better, but the rookie suffered a slight injury in the first half.
Granted, Howard returned just in time for the late push and put on his usual show, even bullying his way into the end zone on a physical run featuring defenders getting smashed underneath his lowered shoulder.
As always, Howard once again looked like one of the brightest parts of Chicago's future.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Did Jeffery play Sunday?
This was probably a question many people asked during the game, before the Bears stormed back from the deficit. In his return from suspension, Jeffery finished with six catches on nine targets for 89 yards and a touchdown.
For one reason or another, Sunday was all about Deonte Thompson and Cameron Meredith before the comeback. The former caught eight of his 11 targets for 110 yards, while the latter hit on nine of his for 13 for 104.
Shoring up his drop issues was Joshua Bellamy who caught one of three targets, his lone going for a 10-yard score.
Not the worst day at the office for Chicago wideouts, though one has to wonder what would have happened if the team had consistently targeted Jeffery all day.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Chicago offensive line finally showed its flaws Sunday against the Packers.
A strength over the past few weeks despite being down a few starters, the line showed how those absences can impact a game in a big way.
The line surrendered one sack, only allowed the ground game to rush for 95 yards and gave up the sack fumble to start the second half. Compared to prior weeks, the unit simply wasn't winning the battle consistently in the trenches.
Alas, the overplay had to stop at some point. Cody Whitehair is still one of the most promising players on the roster, but it's clear both tackle positions need to be addressed in a big way.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Much like the offensive line, the holes in the defensive front showed in a big way Sunday.
Down tackle Eddie Goldman, the Bears didn't apply notable pressure most of the day. When they did, Aaron Rodgers found a way to escape anyway. Don't forget an ugly personal foul by Akiem Hicks in the first half, either.
And that's just the passing game. Keep in mind the Bears allowed a wideout, Ty Montgomery, to rush for 162 yards on 16 carries with two scores. The unit was also part of the reason Christine Michael busted out for a 42-yard score.
Like other areas, Hicks' overplay had to end at some point.
Grade: C
Linebacker
6 of 10
Fans can see the trend budding here.
The linebackers didn't look much better than the line. After overperforming for weeks with backup inside linebackers John Timu and Nick Kwiatkoski in the lineup, the unit couldn't take a proper angle or shut down a run for most of the day.
On the outside, Pernell McPhee had two sacks on an epic day, but Willie Young and others were silent. Like the line, many of the actual pressures wound up as full-on whiffs, not sacks.
Responsible for shutting down the run, letting a wideout and backup go wild isn't a good look for the unit, and it overrides the good moments.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Watching Tracy Porter is a good way to figure out the kind of day Chicago's secondary had.
Porter was beaten for a score in the first half, but the Packers dropped it.
Still, it says just about everything one needs to know about the Chicago secondary on Sunday. The unit couldn't keep up with Jordy Nelson and others, allowing Rodgers to pass for 252 yards and continually move the chains when it mattered most.
That includes, of course, the huge gainer at the end of the game which set up the game-winning score.
Keep in mind, too, the Packers dropped a pair of touchdown passes. It's been a long season for a secondary that keeps shuffling safeties around and enduring injuries, but Sunday was the longest day yet.
Grade: C
Special Teams
8 of 10
Sunday was quite the day for the Chicago special teams.
Pat O'Donnell put on a show over two punts, with his team even downing one at the one-yard line. Connor Barth nailed his two attempts.
On returns, Deonte Thompson put on a show, taking back four kicks for 87 yards, one of which was a 27-yarder. He went on to catch a pass on offense, moving the Bears all on his own.
Granted, a touchdown would have been nice given how this game turned out, but that shoudn't weigh into the grading process.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Fans who caught the game will likely fall into one of two camps.
Camp one applauds Bears head coach John Fox and his staff for a smart adjustment and an ability to keep the team playing despite a huge deficit.
Camp two simply wonders why in the world the defense left the Packers wideout in single coverage to set up the game-winning kick.
The best solution is somewhere in the middle. Despite a few key mistakes, Fox and his staff had the team playing hard and adapting well, helping the comeback effort. A better play call with the game on the line would have been nice, but a game that had no business being that close late was a result of the coaching staff doing well in the face of adversity.
Grade: B
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | C |
| RB | B |
| WR/TE | B |
| OL | C |
| DL | C |
| LB | C |
| Secondary | C |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B |
| Cumulative Grade | C+ |
This isn't what many want to hear after a crushing loss to a bitter rival, but the Bears win in a loss.
A loss to the Packers hurts now, but it helps the future of the team when it comes to draft position. Within the game itself, one can take away plenty of great details for the future as well, such as Whitehair in the offensive trenches, Howard in the backfield and newfound depth at wideout.
True to the nature of a team down several key players, though, the Bears made too many costly mistakes at the wrong time. A comeback is always thrilling, but the best teams don't need comebacks to begin with, at least most of the time.
If the Bears can ball the positives of Sunday into a package containing some consistency, the team has a good shot at winning games against the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings to close the season.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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