Rating the Bears

Game ball

There were an awful lot of candidates for this one - but in the end it goes to Charles Tillman. Remember the first quarter? If Tillman doesn't single-handedly stop a pair of Packer drives with forced fumbles, this game turns into a laugher. Instead, it was the Bears who got the last laugh.

Offense

Quarterback 3½ balls

After a slow start, Brian Griese steadily rallied the Bears back into the game. His numbers weren't great - 15-for-25, 2 TDs, but he came through in the clutch. Great pass to Desmond Clark to seal the deal.

Running backs 2 ½ balls

Cedric Benson (64 yards) was at his frustrating best Sunday - as quickly as he'd find his rhythm, he'd lose it. Adrian Peterson had some big catches, including a 30-yarder.

Receivers 3 balls

John Madden said it best: "You ask why the Bears receivers don't have many catches? Because they don't get open." Perfect.

Tight end Greg Olsen looks like the real deal and his partner Desmond Clark had the key catch of the game.

Offensive line 2 ½ balls

Still looking older and slower than you'd like.

Defense

Defensive line 3 balls

They were sieve-like in the first half as Green Bay rushed at will and Brett Favre had all day to throw and took full advantage. Came to life late.

Linebackers 3 ½ balls

Kind of a quiet evening until Brian Urlacher came through with a huge Interception deep in Packer territory.

Secondary 3 ½ balls

Uh, hello? The Packers run a lot of slant patterns fellas. If not for Charles Tillman forcing a pair of fumbles early on, this could've been ugly.

Special teams 4 balls

Brad Maynard was solid again and Robbie Gould continued to be close to automatic. The downside was a 65-yard GB kickoff return and the invisibility of Devin Hester.

Coaching 4 balls

Just for the steady hand Lovie Smith displayed when things looked their bleakest. And kudos to offensive coordinator Ron Turner for adding some diversity to the game plan.

-- Mike Spellman