Bears midseason offensive grades: Average at every postion

The Bears have traveled many yards but remain the NFL's lowest-scoring team, even after Monday night's 20-10 victory over the Vikings.

Despite ranking a respectable 17th in total yards (355.4 per game), the Bears are last in scoring, with an average of just 16.4 points. They have scored more than 20 points only once, in a 29-23 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Red-zone failures are the primary reason for the discrepancy between yards and points. The Bears have converted just 47.8 percent of their trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line into touchdowns.

Coaches and players cite lack of execution across the board, including inopportune penalties, as the culprit for the red-zone difficulties. That has been factored into the position-by-position midseason report card.

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler began slowly and suffered a sprained right thumb late in Week 2, making room for Brian Hoyer, who played well - for a backup.

Hoyer put up impressive numbers, including a 98.0 passer rating, which is tied for ninth in the league. He threw 6 TD passes and was not intercepted. He threw for more than 300 yards in each of the four games he started and finished. But Hoyer was 1-4 as a starter, including the 26-10 loss to the Packers, when he suffered a fractured arm early in the second quarter. Hoyer was efficient but conservative, piling up yards but failing to make an impact on the scoreboard.

His injury brought on Matt Barkley, the only other quarterback on the roster, who had only been with the team for six weeks. As might be expected, Barkley struggled against the Packers.

Cutler returned the following week and provided some optimism for the second half of the season. He led the upset victory over the Vikings, providing some momentum heading into the off week. Cutler compiled a 100.5 passer rating, while throwing for 252 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked just once while completing 20 of 31 passes and was not intercepted.

Grade: C-minus.

Running backs

While the ground game hasn't been consistent, it has shown potential. The Bears were held under 75 yards on the ground in four games and are 23rd in rushing yards. But they're No. 9 with an average of 4.4 yards per carry, thanks primarily to runs of 69, 57 and 36 yards by rookie Jordan Howard.

Jeremy Langford began the season as the lead dog in what was expected to be a committee-type approach to the run game. He did little to justify his No. 1 status (3.7 yards per carry) before he went down with a sprained ankle in Week 3. At the same time, backup Ka'Deem Carey was dealing with a hamstring injury that provided Jordan Howard an opening, which the fifth-round draft pick burst through.

Howard went over 100 yards in each of his first two starts, endured a two-game slump and then rocked the Vikings with 153 yards on 26 carries, while catching 4 passes for 49 yards. His 5.1-yard average per carry is tied for third in the NFL, and he's 15th with 505 rushing yards.

Langford returned to make a cameo last week and should be 100 percent going forward. Carey is averaging 4.4 yards on 25 carries and has been a reliable short-yardage option because of his physical style. The combination of all three gives offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains plenty of options on the ground.

Grade: C.

Wide receivers

Just as 2015 first-round draft pick Kevin White was emerging as a legitimate threat, another injury slapped him down. In Week 4, he suffered a fractured left fibula and high ankle sprain in the second of back-to-back 6-catch games and was placed on injured reserve but could be back this season.

"He was on the cusp of being pretty good," receivers coach Curtis Johnson said. "He began to run the routes right, and he started to understand our offense. He was just starting to feel his groove."

In the first two games after White's injury, Cam Meredith exploded on the scene with 20 catches for 243 yards and touchdown. But he has cooled off since with a catch in each of the last two games.

Even though he's had to work with three quarterbacks, Alshon Jeffery is on pace for 1,166 yards, and his current average of 16.3 yards per catch would be a career best. With Cutler back in the lineup, Jeffery should see more big-play and red-zone opportunities, but he didn't catch his first TD pass until last week.

After a forgettable first season in Chicago, Eddie Royal has played this year like the guy the Bears thought they were getting in free agency. He had 29 receptions for 338 yards in the first six games before a toe injury sidelined him for the next two.

Grade: C-minus.

Tight ends

Zach Miller has stayed relatively healthy, which means he's been productive. Battling through a nagging rib injury to start every game, Miller has 40 catches for 393 yards and a team-high 3 TD receptions. But the Bears haven't gotten much from their other tight ends. Logan Paulsen has provided some help as a blocker, and undrafted rookie Ben Braunecker got his first NFL catch vs. the Vikings after being promoted from the practice squad three weeks earlier.

Grade: D.

Offensive line

Like most positions on the team, the O-line has lacked consistency. It allowed 8 sacks in the first two games but has permitted just 6 in the six games since then.

For the first six games, the Bears started the same players at all five O-line positions, which helped the jelling process necessary after veteran Josh Sitton was signed a week before the opener to play left guard and rookie Cody Whitehair was moved from guard to center. But Sitton missed the two games before the bye with a sprained ankle, and right guard Kyle Long missed the last 1 ½ games with an arm injury. To the surprise of many, though, the O-line had arguably its best game of the season in Week 8 against Minnesota as both three-time Pro Bowlers watched from the sidelines. With Eric Kush at left guard and Ted Larsen at right guard, the Bears rolled up 403 yards on the NFL's top defense.

The Bears hope to have Sitton and Long back at full strength starting with next week's game against the Bucs in Tampa, but Long is also dealing with a chronic shoulder injury.

Grade: C-minus.

Coming Monday: Midseason grades for Bears defense.

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