Grading the Bears

Game ball

Are you serious? Once again there’s no question that it goes to Matt Forte. Can we just all admit the guy has had an incredible season? And he had yet another incredible game Sunday, finishing with 183 total yards and 1 touchdown as his asking price keeps going up and up.

Quarterback: Not one of Jay Cutler’s better games. He was picked twice, but one was a catchable ball that bounced off Marion Barber’s hands, which dropped his passer rating to 60.2, his second-lowest mark of the season. 2 footballs.

Running back: Matt Forte had 145 yards on 20 attempts, and Marion Barber added 39 on 6 carries. The Bears’ total of 177 yards was second best on the season, and the 5.4-yard average was a team best 2011. 4 footballs.

Receivers: Roy Williams had a blatant drop of a perfect throw early, but his 59 yards were a team best. He and Devin Hester each had 4 catches, and Johnny Knox had 3-for-53 yards. 2 footballs.

Offensive line: Cutler was sacked just twice, and the front five did an excellent job of opening holes for the run game, especially in the first half. 4 footballs.

Defensive line: The running game was nearly eliminated (30 yards on 11 carries) after top backup Earnest Graham left with a first-quarter ankle injury. The pass rush was nonexistent in the second half and rarely got pressure without blitz help. Amobi Okoye had the only sack, his third of the season. 3 footballs.

Linebackers: Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs each had an interception, the third of the season for Urlacher. They each had a tackle for loss, as did strong-side LB Nick Roach. 4 footballs.

Secondary: Nickel corner D.J. Moore had his third interception of the season and rookie free safety Chris Conte had his first in the NFL, just inches short of the goalline. CB Charles Tillman led the Bears with 10 tackles. 4 footballs.

Special teams: PK Robbie Gould missed a 41-yarder that would have tied him for the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Devin Hester was a mere mortal on returns and made a poor decision not to field a punt that rolled for an extra 20 yards. 2 balls.

Coaching: Getting most of their work done at Halas Hall and arriving late in London late in the week worked fine for the Bears, although they did seem to lose some steam in the second half. But a win is a win. 3½ footballs.