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Despite 10 penalties, a listless passing game, and an extremely bonehead play, the Chicago Bears managed to get their first win of the season by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers by the score of 23-17 in overtime. This looked similar to the Bears team that played in Week 1, when they gave the NFC champion Atlanta Falcons a run for their money. Chicago (1-2) got things rolling early, and actually went into halftime with a 10-point lead. However, the Bears found a way to let the Steelers back into the game, but finally put themselves back together to come away with the victory. All phases weren’t perfect in this contest, but were good enough to get the “W.” Here’s Chicago’s grades from Week 3.
Quarterback
There has been a glaring light on Mike Glennon’s decision to not throw the ball downfield so far this season, and against the Steelers, he continued to do the same. Glennon completed 15 of 22 passes for 101 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Of his 15 completions, 12 of them were to running backs for 73 yards, two to tight ends for 19 yards, and only one to a wide receiver for nine yards. Glennon’s interception came at a crucial point in the fourth quarter, giving Pittsburgh the ball on the Bears’ 21-yard line, resulting in a field goal tying the game 17-17. Glennon’s lack of trust in his wide receivers was one of the things that put the offense in an awkward position.
Grade: C-
Running Backs
It appears that Jordan Howard has found his mojo. After rushing for only 59 yards in the first two games of the season, Howard gashed the Steelers’ defense for 138 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. The second-year veteran did all of this despite ailing from a shoulder injury that he sustained in Week 1. Howard also led the Bears in both catches (5) and receiving yards (26). Rookie Tarik Cohen continued to excite fans with his speed, quickness, and elusiveness. Cohen chipped in with 78 rushing yards of his own, along with four receptions for 24 yards. The Howard-Cohen combo was the major reason for the Bears’ first win of the year, but both did manage to each fumble the ball.
Grade: A-
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Hard to criticize Chicago’s wide receivers and tight ends when they really didn’t get any chance to contribute in the passing game. As mentioned earlier, only two catches were recorded by tight ends, and one by wide receivers—Deonte Thompson for nine yards. Rookie Adam Shaheen did manage to catch his first touchdown pass of his career in the second quarter, giving Chicago a 14-7 lead. Wide receiver Markus Wheaton did have two dropped passes, but he was bailed out on one with a roughing-the-passer penalty committed by Pittsburgh. The blocking by the receivers and tight ends did play a factor in the running game.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
The offensive line continued to take their lumps. Center Hroniss Grasu left the game with a hand injury, forcing Chicago to move Cody Whitehair from left guard to center, and inserting Bradley Sowell at left guard. Four of the Bears’ 10 penalties were committed by the offensive front. Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. was flagged for a false start at the end of the first half while the offense had the ball on the half-yard line—Chicago had to settle for a field goal. Sowell had two false starts on the same drive in the fourth quarter. Right tackle Bobbie Massie did have a huge fumble recovery inside the final two minutes of regulation. But, we can’t overlook the O-line paving the way for Chicago’s running backs to rush for a total of 216 yards and two touchdowns.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
Chicago’s defensive front line controlled the line of scrimmage enough to keep Pittsburgh’s running game at bay—Steelers running back LeVeon Bell had only 61 yards on the ground. The starters on the defensive line combined for seven tackles, with backup defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard adding two tackles of his own. Defensive end Akiem Hicks also had a fumble recovery.
Grade: A
Linebackers
Danny Trevathan looks like he’s completely healed from his ruptured patellar tendon from last season. Trevathan led the Bears with 10 tackles, while outside linebackers Pernell McPhee and Willie Young recorded two of the defense’s three sacks. The linebacker corps did keep Pittsburgh’s tight ends in check, and contained their running backs in both the passing game and running game.
Grade: A
Defensive Backs
Cornerback Bryce Callahan helped set the tone early with a strip-sack on Ben Roethlisberger. Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown did manage to snag 10 balls for 110 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Cooper was called for defensive holding in the end zone, which put the ball on the one-yard line for the Steelers—Pittsburgh scored a touchdown on the ensuing play. Prince Amukamara and Kyle Fuller both played solid defense when the ball was thrown their way.
Grade: B
Special Teams
The special teams unit got the ball rolling when Sherrick McManis recovered a muffed punt in the first quarter, which led to the game’s first touchdown. Kicker Connor Barth couldn’t take advantage of Callahan’s strip-sack and Hicks’ fumble recovery by missing a 47-yard field goal in the first quarter. Roy Robertson-Harris was flagged for holding in the fourth quarter after a big punt return by Cohen. But, nothing was more painful to watch than the blocked field goal that was handled by Marcus Cooper. With nothing but green ahead of him, Cooper decided to channel his inner Leon Lett, and showboat his way into the end zone, only for a Steelers defender to knock the ball out of his hand, and having the ball go out the back of the end zone. That touchdown could have prevented this game from going into overtime.
Grade: C-
Coaching
Knowing that they were highly limited when it came to having weapons in the passing game, John Fox and company decided to stick with the running game. In the first two games of the season, Chicago’s running backs combined for 35 total carries. In Week 3, Howard and Cohen matched that total of carries. The change in the game plan definitely worked in the Bears’ favor. However, they still didn’t find a way to get the ball downfield when needed. The other head-scratcher was the constant soft-corner coverage that allowed Antonio Brown to gain over 100 yards receiving—especially on Brown’s touchdown catch on the seven-yard line.
Grade: B