Packers vs. Bears: Grading Each Position for Chicago in Defeat

Another week and another embarrassing loss, this time 27-17 to the Packers.

The Bears lost as a unit.  Good to see them playing as a team, I guess.  

And the referees wanted to be a part of the failure, making horrible calls and non-calls all night.  I think it's safe to say that the crew won't be getting Christmas cards from Chicago this year.  While I don't blame the refs for the Bears loss—any time you can say that then you didn't do enough to win in the first place—they certainly didn't help, missing on a pass interference call that stopped an almost sure Devin Hester touchdown and later making a phantom holding call on a kickoff that Johnny Knox returned for a touchdown after a trick play.

Surprisingly game-planning wasn't the issue it was last week.  While the Bears were run-shy again this week, the runs were sprinkled across the entire game instead of just one quarter.  And nobody should really blame Martz for the lack of running plays considering the performance that we'll discuss in the grading.

The defense played pretty well considering that they were on the field so much and ignoring the fact that you would have thought Jermichael Finley was wearing a Bears jersey in the end zone.

Let's look at how the individual units did.

Quarterback

Statistically, Cutler didn't look horrible.  If you watched the game, you left with a much different perspective.

While he made some decent throws, he threw some real stinkers, including two interceptions that targeted Roy Williams.

He overthrew receivers in some cases, failed to lead them in others and placed the ball poorly in general.

If the Bears are to be successful, Cutler has to play better, period.

Grade: D

Running Back

Forte had a poor outing, as well.

He was Cutler's top receiver and was solid in the passing game, but his rushing was horrible.

Being fair, the line didn't help and Matt is seriously missing Lance Louis and Gabe Carimi.  But Matt was not exactly helping himself either.

On one play in the third quarter, he ran under his linemen's arms and into the defender he was blocking. That's not the kind of play you expect from someone who's looking to get paid. 

Neither is rushing for two yards on nine carries.  How are receivers expected to get open when defenders know they don't have to fear the running game?

Grade: D

Receiving Group

Well, here's another fine mess Jerry Angelo has gotten us into.

The receiving corps were just bad all day.  

The tight ends couldn't block or catch, save one touchdown catch and a run by Kellen Davis.

The leading receiver was the running back and the next leading receiver was an undrafted free agent who sits at fifth on the depth chart.

Roy Williams failed to record a catch, though of his three targets, two were intercepted due to poor throws by Cutler and the third was batted out of his hands on a great defensive play.

Johnny Knox led the team in yardage, but dropped crucial passes.

Hester was robbed of a touchdown when he was mugged by the defender, and then robbed again, this time by the official who didn't flag the play.

Overall, the receiving unit didn't do much to help Cutler and it's becoming more and more apparent that Jay doesn't trust his group.

Grade: F

Offensive Line

Who would have expected the offensive line to be the best performing unit on that side of the ball?

The Bears line allowed just three sacks, and one of those was a coverage sack.  That's a near miracle against one of the best pass-rushing units in the league.

The run blocking, on the other hand, was horrible and the effects of Louis and Carimi being on the shelf was evident from start to finish.  

The Bears managed just two yards rushing aside from Cutler's 11 yards scrambling.

How much does it take to be better than the rest of the offensive unit?...... Grade: D+

Defensive Line

The defensive line didn't do horribly.  In fact, they actually played fairly well.

They got pressure and recorded two sacks on Rodgers, who seems to be getting better and better at getting rid of the ball.

And they bottled up James Starks for just five yards on 11 carries.  Unfortunately, they allowed Ryan Grant to tee off on them for 94 yards on 17 carries, which opened up the play-action for Rodgers and Finley to connect upon.

But overall, the Line did its job reasonably well.

Grade: C

Linebackers

The linebacking group was a Jekyll and Hyde mixed bag.

There were maddening missed tackles by Briggs and Roach.  There were confounding blown coverages by the entire group.

But there were stuffed runs.  And there was also an Urlacher interception on a pass to Jennings late in the game.  And there were several first down avoided by the perfect playing of soft zones and exemplary tackling after the catch from said soft zones.

The unit had its ups and downs.  Unfortunately, some of those downs helped the Bears lose this game.

Grade: C-

Secondary

Well, here's another mixed bag.

The corners played fairly well.  Greg Jennings is special and he's going to do his thing, but the Bears still managed to limit him and effectively take him out of the game at times.

The safeties, however, were not so good.  Brandon Meriweather did finally show up late in the game, but prior to that, you were left wondering how Jermichael Finley was so open and how Ryan Grant was slipping through the backfield.

Two of Finley's TDs came at the expense of Craig Steltz.  The Bears had better hope Chris Harris can go again, and soon.

Grade: D-

Conclusion: Is It Time To Hit the Panic Button Yet?

No, it's not. 

The Bears need to put a lot of things right, but they also just finished the most grueling three-game schedule that anyone in the league will have to deal with and came out of it 1-2.

Next up are the enigmatic Panthers.  If the Bears drop this one, it might be time to slap the red button.

Sound off, ladies and gentlemen.  Step up to the soapbox below and tell us what you think.