Grading the Bears after Sunday’s 31-28 loss to the Broncos:
QUARTERBACK — B
Justin Fields’ performance looked too good to be true — 23-of-24 for 285 yards, 4 TDs and a 155.7 rating through three quarters —and it was. Fields had a fumble returned for a TD, a game-clinching INT and was 5-of-11 for 50 yards and a 21.0 fourth-quarter rating, but still had a career-high 335 yards and a 132.7 rating.
RUNNING BACKS — B+
With Fields on fire, Khalil Herbert (18 carries, 103 yards) and Roschon Johnson (5-13) didn’t have much to do at first. But Herbert nearly carried the Bears to victory with tough runs of 5, 7 and 21 yards on the fateful fourth-quarter drive until he was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-one.
RECEIVERS — A-
DJ Moore (eight receptions, 131 yards, one TD) led the way, including a nifty catch near the pylon for a 29-yard TD in the first quarter. TE Cole Kmet (7-85) had TD catches of 22 and three yards. Darnell Mooney (4-51) was a good complement to Moore. With Chase Claypool inactive, Equanimeous St. Brown had a 21-yard catch.
OFFENSIVE LINE — B
Again gave Fields enough time to throw, only this time it paid off. Bears rushed for 171 yards on 31 carries (5.5 average) as a team. Rookie Darnell Wright was called for an illegal block, but even that was a hsutle play — blocking downfield on a Velus Jones end-around. Larry Borom was beaten for a sack and had a false start.
LINEBACKERS — C+
Tremaine Edmunds (eight tackles) stopped Russell Wilson short on a second-quarter scramble to force a punt. T.J. Edwards (eight tackles) had two QB hits. Jack Sanborn had a tough helmet-to-helmet roughness penalty on the Broncos’ first TD drive, with Broncos TE Nate Adkins also lowering his helmet.
DEFENSIVE LINE — C-
Bears didn’t put a lot of pressure on Russell Wilson, though Dominique Robinson and rookie Zacch Pickens shared the only sack. Yannick Ngakoue had a pressure on Wilson that forced a hurried throw for a 2-yard gain. Rookie Gervon Dexter had a solo tackle Justin Jones had four tackles.
SECONDARY — C+
The makeshift crew — with three starters out — held until the end, when rookie Terell Smith was beaten for a 48-yard pass play from Wilson to Marvin Mims in the fourth quarter. Smith also had a tackle for loss and a pass break-up. Greg Stroman Jr. had a TFL to force a punt. The Bears had no interceptions again.
SPECIAL TEAMS — B-
Not much doing on a day when the Bears scored all their points on touchdowns and only punted twice. Cairo Santos made all four PATs. Trenton Gill had a 34-yard punt that was fair-caught at the 16. His other punt went 56 yards, but was returned 25 yards.
COACHING — D
Matt Eberflus’ day started well when he benched WR Chase Claypool and Cole Kmet converted fourth-and-one. But it did not end well when he disdained a 36-yard FG to break a 28-all tie with 2:57 left in regulation — and crapped out when Herbert was stopped for no gain. The Bears aren’t good enough to run that play in that critical moment.
