Grading the Bears
By John Dietz
Quarterback: B-We're looking for incremental improvements out of Justin Fields, and we saw some decent progress against the Vikings. Fields, who was just 3 for 8 for 73 yards in the first half, finished 15 for 21 for 208 yards. He also ran for 47 yards on 8 carries. He could have had a 52-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, but a holding penalty by wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette brought the play back.
Running back: C-David Montgomery managed just 20 yards on 12 carries, but he had 4 receptions for 62 yards. Feels like a broken record: Not bad, not great.
Wide receivers: D+Darnell Mooney made one of the most spectacular catches you'll ever see, a 39-yarder that set the Bears up at the Vikings' 11-yard line late in the first half. It was a rough day other than that, though. Ihmir Smith-Marsette lost a fumble that killed the Bears' comeback chance, and he was also called for an illegal block in the back on what would have been a 52-yard TD run by Justin Fields in the fourth quarter. Dante Pettis dropped two balls he should have caught.
Offensive line: C+With Cody Whitehair out, it figured to be a tough day - and it certainly was at first. But the line did enough in the second half to help the Bears get back in the game.
Defensive line: D+After a nightmarish first half in which Kirk Cousins saw almost no pressure, the D-line did a solid job in the second half. Still, we need to see more than 1 sack and 3 quarterback hits when a team attempts 42 passes.
Linebackers: D+Dalvin Cook piled up 94 rushing yards on 18 carries and picked up 27 more on 2 receptions. The linebackers impressed at times in the second half, but Roquan Smith managed just 8 tackles on the afternoon. Not good enough for a player who is supposed to be a difference maker.
Secondary: D+A sensational interception by Kindle Vildor early in the fourth quarter allowed the Bears to go down and take a 22-21 lead with a field goal. The DBs couldn't hang with Justin Jefferson, though, as the dynamic wideout caught 10 passes for 138 yards in the first half alone.
Special teams: A-Cairo Santos was 3-for-3 on field goals, 2 of which were 50-plus yards. Kyler Gordon blocked a field-goal attempt that kept the Bears within 5 points.
Coaching: B-Despite falling into a 21-3 hole, he Bears never quit and managed to take a 22-21 lead in the fourth quarter. That's a testament to this coaching staff's ability to keep everyone believing. Loved the onside kick. It didn't work, but those are the calls that you've got to make at times. In the end, it was a loss, but the Bears should feel good about how they came back against a good opponent.