Well the victory on Sunday was not beautiful. In fact, it was flat out ugly. Like Rosie O’Donnell ugly. Bears fans should be happy that all wins are treated the same because it will be hard to believe they can get away with such a tough performance from their “new and improved” offense that we read about and watched all offseason on hard knocks. The four phases that the Bears focus on should all be graded week after week as we hope to see plenty of improvement or stability as the season goes on.
Offense: D+
Bears fans are going to find this grade frustrating. The Bears are onto their 57th different QB in the Super Bowl era (58 seasons). However, this grade is to be expected. Caleb Williams had a rough game but the Titans do have a great interior on the defensive line. The Bears as we saw this weekend, need some help at center. For Caleb Williams, he quickly learned this is not college anymore when he took a bad sack early in the game. He was unable to eclipse 100 yards passing, Swift only had 30 yards rushing, and Keenan Allen looks old. The Bears offense under Shane Waldron was also saw mind boggling decisions when we saw more Gerald Everett snaps than Cole Kmet. When you read this, you may think this deserves an F grade. One thing the Bears didn’t do, was turn the ball over. There was some luck on a trip drill pass that was ultimately caught by Rome Odunze, then fumbled and recovered by the Bears O-line. The Bears took points when they could get them and Caleb did not make silly passes to try and play hero ball. I expect him to gain more confidence in upcoming weeks but it was not an ideal week one for the number one pick.
Defense: A-
Matt Eberflus seemed to be calling the plays for the Bears defense on Sunday and clearly it worked. The Bears defense had two drives that were rough to say the least where we watched the Titans just drive down the field and score. Outside of the two drives, the Bears defense was sensational. Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson both had huge interceptions in the second half with Stevenson’s being a pick 6 to give the Bears the lead. They clearly picked up Caleb Williams and a struggling offense and cleared the way to victory. Big surprise from the defense was Darrell Taylor. The acquisition via the trade with the Seahawks saw 2 sacks and a forced fumble in week one and applied pressure opposite of DE, Montez Sweat. The Bears didn’t miss many tackles and kept the ball in front of them. This should continue to be the case barring any injury. We knew the Bears defense would be the stronger and more consistent side of the ball. Good job, Bears defense.
Special Teams: B
There is one obvious reason this was a B. CUT VELUS JONES, JR. Velus Jones was the reason for three points being allowed by the Bears defense when he mishandled the kickoff in the first quarter. This could have been the play to end the game but because of a blocked punt by the Bears, recovered by Jonathan Owens, the Bears were right back into the game. Without a Velus Jones bad fumble that was kicked around and recovered by the kickoff team, this was the easiest A+ performance I have ever seen. Cairo Santos was automatic, Tory Taylor is worth every second, and DeAndre Carter was a game changer in the return game. I think this is a great sign of things to come for the season.
Coaching: A-
Matt Eberflus proved something in week one. This team will not quit on him. In previous years, I think the Bears would have rolled over ay half and quit, accepting the loss. Not the new Bears. This Bears team played all 60 minutes. The only blemish comes from Shane Waldron who I expect to continue growing his trust in Caleb Williams as we allow him to spread the ball out more and take more shots leading to some more explosive plays. Good work to Matt Eberflus and the boys on a great week one.
Next Week: @Texans (1-0)