2017 Season Grades So Far at Chicago Bears' Bye Week

At the halfway point of their season, the Chicago Bears head into a Week 9 bye looking like a team that has already played an entire season. 

Sounds dramatic, but it isn't hard to see where the Bears have turned things around—by handing the offense over to rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. 

Through eight games, the Bears have now matched last year's final win tally (three) while winning twice since Trubisky took over as the starter. 

The turnaround isn't all on the rookie, of course. He's backed by a strong running game and defense, leaving fans wondering what comes next after the bye and into next offseason. 

Here's a look at bye-week grades for the upstart Bears. 

Passing Offense

Bill Feig/Associated Press

The Bears gave quarterback Mike Glennon a fair shake. 

Brought on to act as a veteran leader and lead the team for at least a year, provided the front office found a rookie it liked in the draft, Glennon responded by throwing for 833 yards and four touchdowns against five interceptions over 140 attempts. 

It's a tough situation for any quarterback when there are injuries to the offensive line and wideout corps. The natural athleticism and arm talent Trubisky brings to the position obviously translated to a more fluid and effective offense that defenses had to respect. 

As such, the rookie has completed 47.5 percent of his passes for 512 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's looked poised and benefited from strong performances from his running backs and defense, though it's too hard to knock him for surviving while learning. 

Still, a grade at this point of the season can't ignore the stagnant passing attack orchestrated by Glennon, though Trubisky has a chance to alter it over the season's second half. 

Grade: C

Rushing Offense

Bill Feig/Associated Press

Of few constants this year, the running game going strong is one. 

An outright highlight of both expected and unexpected developments, the Bears wouldn't get far without the two players turning heads this year. 

One is the expected—Jordan Howard. A breakout rookie a year ago, Howard has cruised on the way to 662 yards and four touchdowns on a 4.1-yard-per-carry average. He's carrying the offense, and fans won't soon forget his gritty 140-yard performance with the game-winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers while dealing with a shoulder injury. 

The other is rookie Tarik Cohen, the rookie who has 228 yards (4.2-yard-per-carry average) and another 28 catches for 234 yards and one score on 37 targets, tops on the team. He's had his off days, but we won't knock him for poor coaching usage considering he's a big reason the Bears offense is so versatile this year. 

Grade: B

Pass Defense

Butch Dill/Associated Press

The Bears set out to revamp the secondary this past offseason and absolutely did so on paper, bringing on two new starting cornerbacks and safeties. 

Whether it worked out is still up in the air. 

The developments certainly haven't followed a predictable path. New arrival Marcus Cooper has struggled at corner while the returning-from-injury Kyle Fuller has put on a show, making the Bears likely kick themselves for turning down his fifth-year option. 

At safety, new arrival Quintin Demps lasted a few games before being lost to injury, while rookie Eddie Jackson has become an instant star. 

To date, the Bears have allowed one 300-yard passer and multiple passing touchdowns by a quarterback once. This is not only a result of strong secondary play from guys like Jackson and Prince Amukamara, but a strong pass rush up-front from names such as Leonard Floyd (four sacks) and Akiem Hicks (six). 

Grade: B+

Run Defense

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

We knew going into the season the Bears should boast a strong run defense if the unit could stay relatively healthy.  

The unit has mostly matched expectations so far, having yet to allow a 100-yard rusher while the newfound health of tackle Eddie Goldman has helped win the war in the trenches. That's an impressive mark so far considering the schedule has thrown names like Le'Veon Bell at the unit. 

Granted, this area of the defense will fall under more scrutiny after inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman went to injured reserve and with several talented rushing attacks still on the schedule. 

The unit should still be able to win the majority of the battles in the trenches up-front and uncomfortably force offenses to the air, where the aforementioned strong pass rush awaits. 

Grade: A

Special Teams

Nick Wass/Associated Press

As expected, Cohen has made a noticeable impact on special teams, registering longs of 46 and 21 yards on kickoffs and punts, respectively. 

Deonte Thompson, brought back this past offseason, only averaged 20.8 yards on 11 attempts before being released October 11. But perhaps the bigger concern is the fact the kick-coverage unit has allowed a touchdown on both a kick and punt return already. 

The bad news doesn't stop there. Kicker Connor Barth has missed four of his 11 attempts, including three from 40-49 yards out and one from 50-plus. And punter Pat O'Donnell has booted it 44 times with 16 finishing inside the 20. 

Overall, a dull performance from a unit that could use better coverage and more competition at kicker. 

Grade: C

Coaching

Butch Dill/Associated Press

It's no easy task to grade the Bears coaching staff so far. 

On one hand, the coaches at least in part knew it was time to pull the plug on Glennon, and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains has mostly done a good job of protecting his rookie quarterback. 

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has his guys playing well as expected and has put the new talent at his disposal to good use. 

Overall, though, the Bears took entirely too long to make the switch under center. The Bears have not only had some sloppy, costly penalties, but the usage for guys like Cohen has been spotty at best—and who can forget the game when a wideout tallied only one catch? 

We'll cut head coach John Fox and his crew some slack for once again not having much in the continuity department while stuck in the middle of a deep rebuild. But it won't give a pass on poor decisions overall. 

Grade: B-

All contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise specified. Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.