Grading the Bears' win over Jaguars

Game ball

Danieal Manning

Talk about starting things off with a bang. Danieal Manning did just that by intercepting David Garrard on the third play from scrimmage and returning the ball 44 yards to the Jacksonville 5 to set up a touchdown. For an encore, he took the second-half kickoff and scooted 52 yards down the left sideline. Manning rounded out his day with a couple of pass breakups and 3 solo tackles.

Grades

Offense

Quarterback: 3½ balls

Needing a big game following his debacle in Minnesota, Kyle Orton came through early against the Jags, posting a 116 QB rating in the first half and finishing 20-for-34 for 219 yards, 2 TDs, 1 interception and an 85.3 rating. Not helping his cause were about 5 drops by his receivers.

Running backs: 3 balls

Even though Matt Forte combined for over 100 yards rushing and receiving, other than his 26-yard run in the first half it was a fairly quiet effort by the rookie. Even so, he did pass Gale Sayers for the most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in franchise history.

Wide receivers: 3 balls

Evidently it's not an official game until Rashied Davis drops an easy one. But he wasn't the only one - there were a handful Sunday. The good news is Devin Hester had a heck of a day (5 catches, 80 yards), and tight ends Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen (TD apiece) were much more involved. Hey, even Marty Booker (3 catches) got in on the action.

Offensive line 3½ balls

The no-sleeves bunch were no-frills again. Just doing their job, minding their business and keeping the Jags away from Orton most of the day.

Defense

Defensive line: 3½ balls

What a nice day for Israel Idonije (1.5 sacks, deflected pass, 5 tackles), who, along with Anthony Adams (8 tackles), did a nice job against a run-heavy Jacksonville offense. There have been more sightings of Bigfoot this season than Mark Anderson, but the pass-rush specialist returned to the spotlight briefly with a sack of David Garrard.

Linebackers 2½ balls

Brian Urlacher tied for the team lead in tackles (8), but along with his two partners, wasn't a dominant factor.

Secondary: 3½ balls

Mike Brown won't soon forget the hit he took from Maurice Jones-Drew in the first quarter that knocked him on his keister along the Jags' sideline. But Brown got his revenge, tying for the team lead in tackles along with Charles Tillman (8 apiece) and helping to hold down the Jacksonville passing attack until the game was out of reach.

Special teams: 3½ balls

Hester sparked fond memories of days of yore with a 21-yard punt return, but he quickly brought us back to reality with a pair of fumbled punts. Danieal Manning continued to excel at kickoff returns (3 for 81 yards), Robbie Gould was 3-for-3 on field goals, and punter Brad Maynard was on automatic.

Coaching: 3½ balls

Beginning the third trimester, the bottom of the fifth inning, the last quarter - whatever you want to call the stretch run (how about just the final four games of the season?) has begun and you've earned a passing grade on your first test. But things will only get tougher.