We are seeing almost a carbon copy of the way things went last year for the Chicago Bears.  Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams was a lot like their game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 last season.  The Bears were coming off of bad losses to the Green Bay Packers and the team looked like a mess.  Against Carolina last year and the Rams this year, Jay Cutler threw for zero touchdowns and one interception in both games.  He had 102 yards and a 52.9 completion percentage against Carolina and 183 yards and a 54.8 completion percentage against the Rams.

It just reminds me that recent Bears teams have been slow starters and a grind-it-out win is just as good as a blowout.  So long as we continue to see improvement, a win is a win.  The 2006 Bears didn’t win pretty, but they made it to the Super Bowl.  This 2012 Bears team has plenty of new as well as unexpected weapons.  Tim Jennings is playing out of his mind and the defensive line has more sacks than a potato farmer.  If the offense can get on track, the Bears can be the most complete team in the NFL.

Let’s take a look at how the Bears graded out in their 23-6 victory over the Rams.

Quarterback – C-
This was far from Jay Cutler’s best game, but also not his worst.  He went 17-for-31 and threw for 183 yards and 1 interception.  The theme of the day was ‘safe’ after he gave away last week’s game in Green Bay with 4 interceptions.  Against the Rams, he rarely attempted anything downfield and the interception was after a tipped ball.  In the end, he got the win, thanks to a few successful drives and a great defensive effort.  I think it’s important to note that Cutler has won seven of his last eight games.  I’m a little concerned about a bunch of balls thrown into the ground and a noticeably bloody thumb, but an extra day off this week may be just what Cutler needs to find his rhythm.

Wide Receivers – D+
While Cutler made some errant throws, the Bears receiving corps didn’t do him many favors.  Devin Hester whiffed on an easy touchdown catch and Alshon Jeffery dropped another easy pass.  Brandon Marshall had 5 catches for 71 yards, but half of it came on one catch late in the game.  I think he was open on some routes across the middle, but Cutler didn’t see him, most likely due to pressure from the Rams.  Earl Bennett’s lack of production (1 catch for 11 yards) is starting to concern me.  He’s needs to step up his game and fight for the balls that are thrown his way.

Running Backs – B
The Bears asked Michael Bush to be the starting running back in Matt Forte’s absence, and he fared very well.  He had 14 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown in the first half, picking up multiple first downs.  Kahlil Bell received the bulk of the work in the second half after Bush went out with an apparent minor injury and wasn’t very effective.  At least the Bears stayed committed to the run game, gaining 103 yards on the ground.  Bush’s effort was nice to see after a recent string of bad backup RBs in the Bears backfield.

Tight Ends/Fullback – D+
I’m going to continue to pick on Kellen Davis, who fails to live up to his potential.  He had 2 catches for 20 yards, but, with his size, should get that on a bad day.  His blocking wasn’t terrible this week, so that’s a plus.  I don’t remember seeing much of Matt Spaeth, but he seems to be wasting a roster spot.  Kyle Adams is young and does a great job blocking and catching the ball.  I hope to see more of him.  The Bears rookie fullback, Evan Rodriguez, injured himself early in the game.  However, he has continued to do a nice job blocking, and I hope he’s back next week against the Cowboys.

Offensive Line – D
‘Anything you can do, I can do worse’ seems to be the mantra on the Bears offensive line.  Gabe Carimi is the latest guy to throw up a stinker.  I’m not sure if his knee is still bothering him or he just isn’t as good as we thought, but he’s needs to get better.  Despite Chilo Rachal’s two false starts, I thought he did a better job than Chris Spencer was doing.  The penalties were early in the first quarter and Bears scored on both drives.  I think he will be a mainstay for now.  Lance Louis, who is normally solid, had some problems, missing a few blocks and drawing a false start.  J’Marcus Webb is who we thought he was, terrible.  In the end, the only reason I didn’t give them a failing grade is because Cutler was only sacked twice and the Bears won.

Defensive Line – A+
This ferocious group tallied another 5 sacks and a new player stepped into the spotlight once again.  Israel Idonije tore through the backfield with 2.5 sacks and 4 total QB hits.  Amobi Okoye and Stephen Paea continued their stellar play with a sack each and Peppers rounded out the line with a half sack of his own.  And as well as those guys played, I’m quickly falling in love with the whirling dervish that you know as Shea McClellin.  His spin move has faked out offensive linemen around the league, and I can’t wait to see him improve as the season goes on.

Linebackers – B-
They haven’t been outstanding, but they have been the glue holding the defense together.  Lance Briggs had a nice day, leading the team with 7 tackles and adding 2 pass deflections.  Brian Urlacher still looks a little slow, but has typified the Bears style of ‘bend, but don’t break.’  Nothing special, but reliable.  Hopefully, he continues to improve week-to-week.  There was also a Nick Roach sighting, as he registered his first sack since 2009 (when he had 2 on the season).

Secondary – A
Another game, another Tim Jennings interception.  And he had 3 total pass deflections. The guy is playing out of his mind and could break the Bears interception record of 10 set by Mark Carrier in 1990.  One of his deflections also led to Major Wright’s pick-6 that helped seal the victory.  We haven’t heard Charles Tillman’s name much this season, but that just means that he is doing his job well and QBs aren’t even throwing his way.  The only negative was a 30-yard reception by Rams WR Danny Amendola, which was the longest the Bears secondary has given up so far this season.

Special Teams – B+
After Hester nearly broke a few returns early in the game, the Rams just stopped kicking to him, leading to nice field position for the Bears.  He finished the game averaging 28.3 yards on kickoffs and 13.0 yards on punts.  Podlesh only averaged 41.3 on his punts but kept the Rams pinned deep in their territory for most of the game.  Gould was perfect again, going 3-for-3 and hitting a knuckleball 54-yarder early in the game.  The coverage units kept the Rams from making any big plays.  Give credit to Podlesh for taking a big illegal hit early in the game that led to the Bears first points.  Dave Toub is back on track after being schooled last week in Green Bay.

Coaching – B
Give Mike Tice credit for toning down the offense.  He may have erred a little too much in the direction of playing a vanilla game, but, hey, it worked.  Also, I have to give Lovie credit for not wasting a challenge on the ball that Chris Conte almost intercepted in the first half.  The Lovie timeout late in the second quarter that led to the Rams kicking a 56-yard field goal may have seemed dumb, but I can see that the Bears didn’t want to risk getting caught with their pants down again.  Smart call.

Overall – C+

August 18, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester (23) gestures to the crowd during the first quarter against the Washington Redskins at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The Chicago Bears (1-1) vs. the St. Louis Rams (1-1) at Soldier Field isn’t exactly a marquee Midwest NFL matchup, but the teams do have a long history.  This will be the 89^th time they have met, with the Bears holding a 51-34-3 edge.  The Bears won the last meeting 17-9 at Soldier Field in 2009.  RB Stephen Jackson ran for 112 yards, but the Bears defense held QB Kyle Boller and the Rams to just three field goals.  It was a lackluster game from two lackluster team.  This year’s matchup should be quite different.

From 2007-2011, the Rams only won 15 games, but new coach Jeff Fisher has the team on the upswing, beating the Washington Redskins last week and losing a close game against the Detroit Lions in Week 1.  Rams QB Sam Bradford looks to be finally living up to the hype, completing 71.7 percent of his passes and throwing for 508 yards and 4 touchdowns so far this season.  WR Danny Amendola has been a big reason for turn around, already catching 20 passes for 230 yards and 1 touchdown.  The Bears will look to regain the explosive offense that put up 41 points in Week 1.  DE Chris Long, CB Cortland Finnegan and the Rams defense is improved but has given up 6 touchdowns, while only forcing 4 turnovers this season.

Let’s take a look at some other important numbers to keep in mind in Week 3.

56.3:  Devin Hester’s career kickoff return average against the Rams (4 returns), which includes 2 touchdowns.

130.0:  Steven Jackson’s career average yards from scrimmage against the Bears (2 games).

3:  Number of interceptions Charles Tillman has in 4 career games against the Rams.

18-9:  Jay Cutler’s record since the start of the 2010 season.

9-19:  Sam Bradford’s record since the start of the 2010 season.

100.19:  Cutler’s average QB rating in the week following a game when he had a QB rating under 50.0.  (He had a 28.2 QB rating last week.)

3-5:  Cutler’s career regular season record against the NFC West.

17-8:  Cutler’s career record at Soldier Field as a Chicago Bear.

10:  Henry Melton’s number of sacks since the start of the 2011 season, the most by a defensive tackle over that span.

100:  Bears red zone efficiency in 2012, scoring 4 touchdowns and 2 field goals.

116:  Times Cutler has been sacked in 43 games with the Bears.

786:  Cutler’s yards lost while being sacked since joining the Bears in 2009.

28:  Longest play from scrimmage by a Bears opponent (Rush by Packers WR Randall Cobb last week) in their last 3 games, dating back to Week 17 of 2011.

26-4:  Lovie Smith’s record since 2008 when the Bears lead at halftime.

25:  Bears opponent’s third down conversion percentage in 2012 (6-for-24).

8:  Number of total missed field goals in 142 attempts by all NFL kickers in 2012 and number of punters with a gross average of 50.0 yards or more (only 5 times in NFL history has a punter finished a season with a gross average of 50.0 yards or more).

I just threw that last stat in there because I found it to be pretty crazy.  NFL kickers are ridiculous good this season.  Rams rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein is 6-for-6 on field goal attempts this season and Robbie Gould is 3-for-3.  This means that field position is going to be important.  Field goals can add up quickly if the Bears turn the ball over or have to punt from deep in their zone.  Speaking of punting, Rams rookie punter Johnny Hekker has 8 punts for an average of 50.5 yards.  This could actually be great for Devin Hester, if he catches a long punt with room to run in front of him.  Also keep in mind that Hester’s first two career kickoff returns came against the Rams in 2006.

We will see what this all adds up to Sunday at Soldier Field.