Chicago Bears Week 2 Report Card

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Last week was one of the report cards that I dread doing after a gut-wrenching loss to the Buffalo Bills. For the better part of the first half, it looked like I was going to have to sharpen my pencil and fill out another failing report card. Then everything just sort of clicked. Perhaps it was the shot that Jay Cutler took to the sternum or the sick Brandon Marshall catch that sparked the team, but the Bears went on to rally and turn a 17-0 deficit into a 28-20 victory. Let’s see how everyone graded out.

Quarterback (A)

Cutler’s line included two important stats – 4 TD’s and 0 INT’s. He didn’t pile up the yardage, but he was efficient as heck, especially in the second half. He completed 13 out of 14 passes in the second half and posted a 119 quarterback rating. What was the best part of Jay’s 25 yard scramble? The slide at the end. The Bears can go far with this Cutler.

Running Back (C)

It’s tough to pin this one entirely on Matt Forte but the running game was really poor. After selling everyone on the fact that they’d make a concerted effort to run the ball, the Bears leading rusher was Jay Cutler. It’s taking a while to get the running game going, but keep in mind they’re trying to get this going without 40% of their starting offensive line.

Wide Receivers (A)

Sep 14, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) celebrate after scoring against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter at Levi

Let’s call this one an A for effort grade. The top duo of Marshall and Jeffery struggled early in the game. Alshon Jeffery probably shouldn’t have played; an extra week of rest would have done that hamstring some good. As for Marshall, he gutted out one of the top performances in his career. Again, the yardages wasn’t huge (48), but three touchdowns matched a career high. The first TD reception was as good as any you’ll see. The other wide receivers didn’t do much on the stat line, but the route combinations they used in the second half allowed Marshall and Jeffery to operate within their limitations.

Tight End (B)

Martellus Bennett had another decent game. He led the Bears with 7 catches for 37 yards and added a touchdown. Dante Rosario also contributed a catch.

Offensive Line (B)

Give the patchwork offensive line a lot of credit. They only gave up one sack of Jay Cutler in a hostile environment. There was a miscommunication between Michael Ola and Jay Cutler that led to a botched snap. The running game is really struggling to get out of the gates, with Forte averaging just 1.8 yards per carry.