Grading the Bears
Game ball
This easily could have gone to Broncos place-kicker Matt Prater for his clutch late field goals, but Tim Tebow is officially the magic man in Denver, and he did it again Sunday, orchestrating yet another fourth-quarter comeback to improve to 6-1 as a starter this season.
Offense
Quarterback 2 balls
Caleb Hanie (12 of 19, 115 yards) will no doubt rue a couple of prime opportunities missed, but the bottom line is that he went a complete game without an interception and had his team ahead 10-0 late. That has to be worth something despite a less-than-stellar performance.
Running backs 2 balls
Marion Barber was on his way to having a real nice game, rushing for more than 100 yards and a TD and catching a pair of passes for 32 yards. Then he stepped out of bounds on a run late in the fourth quarter, which stopped the clock and gave the Broncos just enough time to rally. With the Bears driving in overtime, he fumbled ... setting up Prater’s fateful field goal.
Receivers 2 balls
Kahlil Bell led the Bears with 5 receptions. Enough said. Johnny Knox had 3 catches for 32 yards, but once again Earl Bennett was nowhere to be found. Sadly, he wasn’t the only one.
Offensive line. 1.5 balls
Sure seems like the offensive line has struggled since Jay Cutler got hurt. Maybe they were playing better with Cutler or maybe he made them look better. Either way, they’re really not getting the job done now.
Defensive line 3.5 balls
Julius Peppers just continues to amaze. A sack, a blocked field goal and a terror to Tim Tebow much of the game — not too shabby. Stephen Paea finished with a pair of sacks, and Henry Melton notched his seventh of the season.
Linebackers 2.5 balls
Brian Urlacher (11) and Lance Briggs (9) led in tackles, which is not too surprising considering Denver’s limited options on offense. Briggs was whistled for roughing the passer.
Secondary 3 balls
You won’t see prettier footwork than what Charles Tillman showed during his 29th career interception, and Craig Steltz forced a Tebow fumble. But in the end Tebow came alive to add to his growing mystique.
Special teams 3.5 balls
You can talk about the career-high, team-record 57-yard field goal by Robbie Gould or Devin Hester’s 26-yard punt return, but the number of the day was turned in by punter Adam Podlesh — 526 yards on 11 punts.
Coaching 2 balls
For more than three quarters, the plan devised to stop Tim Tebow was working to perfection. What happened?