It all started out great for the Chicago Bears in Week 11, but things fell apart as usual, and the disappointing result was another loss. The Bears (3-7) were defeated in heartbreaking fashion by the Detroit Lions by the score of 27-24. Chicago has yet to get a win within their division, and are primed to finish dead last in the NFC North by season’s end.
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Surprisingly, the Bears’ offense outgained the Lions in total yardage (398 to 352), and converted more first downs (24-20). Most of the offense’s success was due to the production of the running game. However, their passing game was somewhat decent. Defensively, the Bears held Detroit’s ground attack in check, but had some missed opportunities in defending the pass. As for the special teams, they weren’t too special when it counted most.
Here’s a look at how the Bears fared in Week 11.
Quarterback
Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky didn’t put up the big numbers in the air like he did last week, but he did play a smart game, and kept his team in it to the very end. Trubisky ended the contest completing 18 of 30 pass attempts for 179 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. What made his game even more productive was his ability to use his legs. The first-round draft pick was the game’s second-leading rusher with 53 yards, which included a 19-yard scramble on a fourth-and-13 on the Bears’ final drive of the game. The obvious flaw in Trubisky’s game was his fumbled snap under center in the second quarter, which was recovered and returned for a touchdown by the Lions’ defense. In addition, Trubisky had moments when he missed his target due to not having is feet set.
Grade: B
Running Backs
The running back duo of Jordan Howard and rookie Tarik Cohen had their third-best combined effort of the season on the ground. Howard and Cohen had a total of 169 rushing yards, and two touchdowns. Howard’s 125 yards led all rushers in this game, and he did all of that on just 15 carries. Cohen’s 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter tied the game at 24.
Grade: A
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Once again, Chicago’s pass catchers had below-average numbers in the passing game. Rookie tight end Adam Shaheen’s four receptions led the Bears, and he had 41 receiving yards and a touchdown. Dontrelle Inman, who seems to be the go-to wide receiver, finishing with three catches for 43 yards. Both Kendall Wright and Tre McBride III chipped in with two grabs of their own for 25 and 14 yards respectively. And even with Markus Wheaton getting some playing time, he’s still invisible in the passing game.
Grade: C-
Offensive Line
Even not at 100 percent, Kyle Long’s return to the starting lineup did pay dividends for Chicago’s offense. The running game was much improved from last week, and Trubisky was sacked only one time in the contest. However, a couple of penalties committed by Long did slow the Bears’ offense.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
Detroit’s running game had a lot of difficulty trying to penetrate Chicago’s front line, gaining just a net total of 65 yards. Mitch Unrein led the defensive line with five tackles and recorded one of the Bears’ three sacks on the afternoon. Akiem Hicks was active as well with three tackles of his own, and a fumble recovery.
Grade: B
Linebackers
For the second consecutive week, the Bears’ defense was without inside linebacker Danny Trevathan. Backups Christian Jones and Nick Kwiatkoski filled in admirably. Jones led the team with eight tackles, and added a sack to his numbers. Kwiatkoski had a sack of his own, which was actually a strip-sack. Although no sacks were recorded by any of the outside linebackers, they did put pressure on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. One blemish on the corps of linebackers was the blown coverage right before halftime, which resulted in Lions running back Ameer Abdullah being wide open for a touchdown in the red zone.
Grade: C+
Defensive Backs
Chicago’s secondary didn’t play bad, they just didn’t play good enough. Four of the Lions’ wide receivers had big receptions of 16 yards, 17 yards, and 40 yards, to go along with Marvin Jones’ 28-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Although Stafford was under pressure, he only threw 10 incomplete passes, finishing the day with nearly 300 yards passing. Bears cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Cre’Von LeBlanc both had missed opportunities with dropped interceptions.
Grade: C
Special Teams
Nothing spectacular happened for the special teams unit. Even with windy conditions, punter Pat O’Donnell still managed to average just over 40 yards per punt, with of long of 55 yards. However, it was late in the fourth quarter where things went sour. After the Lions took the lead with a 52-yard field goal, Cohen decided to run out the ensuing kickoff, which was seven yards in the end zone, and got tackled at Chicago’s 17-yard line. Things would have been better if he had taken a knee and brought the ball out to the 25-yard line. Then after Trubisky’s gutsy fourth-down run and clutch 14-yard pass to Inman, kicker Connor Barth missed the game-tying, 46-yard field goal by a mile. After that poorly missed kick, that could have been Barth’s last field goal attempt in a Bears uniform.
Grade: D
Coaching
Although the offensive play calling was fairly balanced, one must question the coaching staff’s reasoning for not running the ball more. Chicago gained 148 yards on the ground in the first half, with Howard getting 88 of those yards. Even the designed run plays for Trubisky were working. However, having Cohen more involved in the offense once again was a good idea. And in a crucial point late in the fourth quarter, one would think that the coaching staff would’ve told Cohen to take a knee if the kickoff was deep in the end zone.
Grade: D