Grading the Bears vs. the Lions
Quarterback: D-
How much of Justin Fields' performance is his fault is debatable, but 4 completions through three quarters is about as bad as it gets. Fields did rip off runs of 31 and 60 yards in the first half and finished with 132 yards on the ground.
Running backs: C
It's difficult to grade David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert when they're handed the ball just 11 times. They picked up 55 yards on those runs, good for a 5.0 average.
Offensive line: D
Not much to like here as Justin Fields was sacked 7 times. A few came due to good coverage by the Lions secondary, but the O-line needed to do a better job setting a reliable pocket so Fields could go through his progressions.
Wide receivers: F
An absolutely embarrassing performance by this group. Not only could nobody get open, but Cole Kmet and Dante Pettis both dropped passes.
Defensive line: F
Trevis Gipson recorded his first sack since Week 2 when he dropped Jared Goff on the Lions' opening possession of the third quarter. It set up a third-and-18, which should have forced a punt. But on the next play Dominique Robinson bounced off RB D'Andre Swift and allowed the tailback to break free for a 35-yard run. Moments later, the Lions went up 31-10 and the game was all but over.
Linebackers: F
Nicholas Morrow and Matthew Adams were utterly invisible and a big reason why the Lions racked up 504 yards of offense. Joe Thomas did record 12 tackles, but most simply stopped some serious bleeding.
Secondary: D
Kyler Gordon committed a brutal pass interference penalty on a fourth-and-4 on Detroit's first drive to give the Lions a first-and-goal on the 1. It set the tone for a rough day.
Special teams: B
Velus Jones had an impressive 63-yard kickoff return at the end of the first half, and Trenton Gill's net average on 6 punts was 44.3 yards.
Coaching: F
This was by far the Bears' worst effort of the season as they were manhandled all over the field. The most confusing decision came at the end of the first half after Velus Jones Jr. returned a kickoff 63 yards to give the Bears the ball at the Lions' 45. With 7 seconds left, the Bears had two choices: Throw the Hail Mary or try a quick sideline pass to try to get into field-goal range. Once you see the Lions setting up to take away that sideline pass, you must allow Justin Fields to audible to the Hail Mary. With so many defenders within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, it just may have worked. Instead, Fields threw an interception.
Also: Why is Fields in the game deep into the fourth quarter? That's a criminal decision that really makes one question Matt Eberflus' coaching IQ.
- John Dietz