Grading the Bears
Quarterback: B-Justin Fields (8-for-17, 121 yards; 11 carries for 28 yards) was far from perfect, but his 51-yard TD pass to Dante Pettis in the third quarter helped turn the tide. Fields did throw a bad first-half interception on a ball intended for Darnell Mooney on third down. The smart play would have been to dump the ball to Cole Kmet, who was running wide open in the flat. Overall, though, a pretty solid day in some awful conditions.
RB: C+David Montgomery (17 carries for 26 yards) found almost no running room between the tackles, but Khalil Herbert (9-45) seemed to make the most of some slivers of daylight.
Receivers: B-Normally when wideouts and tight ends combine for 4 catches they're going to get a D or an F, but 2 of the receptions went for touchdowns so it's easy to bump the grade up a bit. Going forward we need to see guys getting open much more often.
Offensive line: DPass protection broke down far too quickly and there were very few openings in the running game.
Defensive line: B+The Niners averaged 6.4 yards per carry in the first half, but once RB Elijah Mitchell was lost to a knee injury, the Bears did a much better job of shutting down the run. The line really impressed in the second half and also got a big sack from Dominique Robinson on the Niners' second possession on third-and-7.
Linebackers: B+It was a slow start for this group, but Roquan Smith made several big tackles down the stretch. Also, give credit to Al-Quadin Muhammad for a pressuring Trey Lance into an incompletion on a key drive early in the fourth quarter.
Secondary: A-Jaylon Johnson's forced fumble on the Niners' first drive may have been the play of the day. It stifled some early momentum and the Bears seemed to settle in after that. Then, of course, there was Eddie Jackson's fourth-quarter INT that set the Bears up on the SF 21-yard line.
Special teams: DCairo Santos had a chance to kick a 47-yard field goal with 25 seconds left in the half, but rookie holder Trenton Gill was called for unsportsmanlike conduct because he wiped the field down with a towel. Santos also missed 2 extra points.
Coaching: A-Overall, a great day for coach Matt Eberflus and Co. We could find some fault with the offensive play-calling in the first half, but the Bears appear to be a well disciplined team that will play smart football all season. An impressive start for sure.
- John Dietz