Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears' Week 2 Report Card

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles strong safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

In Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears seemed to not come close to righting any of their wrongs from the previous week. The Bears ended their 2016 home opener with a disappointing 29-14 loss to the Eagles, and are now 0-2. This loss might have been worse than the previous week’s for a number of reasons.

Coming into this contest against Philadelphia, Chicago virtually had a clean list of injured players. But by game’s end, seven Bears were sidelined. On top of that, the offense turned the ball over three times, while the defense allowed three touchdowns in the second half. As a result, Chicago added another home loss to their current abysmal home record dating back to 2014.

As ugly as it may be, let’s take a look at the Bears’ grades for Week 2.

Quarterbacks

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao (97) makes Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) fumble the ball during the second half at Soldier Field. The Eagles won 29-14. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Just like in Week 1, Cutler seemed to be poised for a productive night under center, but things fell apart for the 11-year veteran in the second half. Cutler got lucky on the second offensive drive of the game when one of his passes was dropped by an Eagle defender. However, Cutler did commit two turnovers in the third quarter, which pretty much put the game out of reach for the Bears. The lost fumble did hurt, but the interception committed by Cutler did worse damage, with Philly scoring a touchdown on the ensuing play. Cutler completed 12 of 17 passes for 157 yards, to go along with his interception.

Brian Hoyer did come in after Cutler voluntarily took himself out of the game with his right thumb injury. Hoyer completed nine of 12 passes for 78 yards, but it was obviously not enough to get Chicago back into the game.

Grade: D

Running Backs

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jeremy Langford (33) carries the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at Soldier Field. The Eagles won 29-14. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago gained only 10 yards on the ground in the first half, but did start to move the chains a bit in the third quarter. Unfortunately, that bit of production wasn’t nearly enough to help the Bears get back in the game. Jeremy Langford found the end zone in the second quarter, and finished with only 11 carries for 28 yards. Langford also ended up committing the third and final turnover by the Bears with a fumble in the fourth quarter.

Rookie Jordan Howard got his first three carries of his professional career, and ended the night with 22 yards, while Ka’Deem Carey was handed the ball only twice for three yards before he exited the game with a hamstring injury.

Grade: C

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Kevin White (13) carries the ball as Philadelphia Eagles free safety Jalen Mills (31) tackles during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Alshon Jeffery exploded out of the gate once again in the first half, and finished the contest with five receptions for 96 yards. Eddie Royal did a great job turning short passes into big gains throughout the night, ending the game with four catches for 52 yards. Kevin White looked a little better than he did in Week 1. When given the chance to be on the field, White took advantage. The second-year receiver had four catches of his own for 36 yards, and did convert on a first down on an end around handoff for nine yards.

Tight end Zach Miller had another quiet game with four grabs for 33 yards. Backup tight end Logan Paulsen didn’t touch the ball all game, but did miss a block on a safety blitz on the Bears’ first offensive drive of the game, which resulted in a sack.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jeremy Langford (33) rushes the ball Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Cutler was sacked three times on Monday night, and was under pressure several other times. The offensive line still looks like they are trying to find their chemistry with each other. Josh Sitton and rookie Cody Whitehair were flagged for penalties in the first half, while Bobby Massie still appeared a bit slow on the right side of the offensive line. Kyle Long may be struggling with the torn labrum in his left shoulder, and it showed when he lost containment of a block that resulted in Cutler losing a fumble.

Grade: D-

Defensive Line

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood (28) carries the ball against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. The Eagles won 29-14. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The defensive line did a fairly decent job in controlling the line of scrimmage against the Eagles’ running game, keeping their running backs under 100 yards. Before leaving the game with an ankle injury, Eddie Goldman did show some activity in pressuring Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, as well as Akiem Hicks against the run. However, Hicks was flagged with a personal foul penalty.

Grade: C

Linebackers

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is sacked by Chicago Bears outside linebacker Willie Young (97) during the second half at Soldier Field. Philadelphia won 29-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Jerrell Freeman continued to make big hits and big plays at, and behind the line of scrimmage. Sam Acho recorded a sack on the Eagles’ first offensive drive, which forced them to settle for a field goal. Two of Willie Young’s seven tackles went for losses, and he also added a sack of his own. Rookie Leonard Floyd was called for a crucial offsides penalty after stopping Philadelphia on a fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles did score a touchdown on the next play.

Grade: B

Defensive Backs

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor (17) carries the ball as Chicago Bears cornerback Tracy Porter (21) defends during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Both Bryce Callahan and rookie Deiondre Hall broke up passes that could have been touchdowns, making the Eagles settle for field goals. Overall, Chicago’s secondary had some problems defending Wentz and the Eagles’ passing attack. The 190 passing yards by Wentz may not indicate that, but Philly’s no-huddle offense kept the Bears on their heels, and the Eagles’ rookie quarterback was accurate enough to keep his offense on the field, especially on their opening drive when Wentz completed eight of nine passes to take a 3-0 lead.

Grade: C

Special Teams

Sep 19, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) carries the ball during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Philadelphia won 29-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Connor Barth didn’t make a good first impression in his home debut in the Windy City by missing a 31-yard field goal that would’ve tied the game at 3-3 in the first quarter. Late in the second quarter, Deonte Thompson opted to bring the ball out on a kickoff instead of taking the touchback, and gave the Bears the ball on their own 14-yard line. Royal was the lone bright spot on special teams with his 65-yard punt return for a touchdown with over five minutes left in the game.

For the second straight week, rookie DeAndre Houston-Carson was penalized on a punt return.

Grade: C+

Coaching

Aug 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox on the sidelines during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

For the second week in a row, Chicago’s offensive play calling has been lopsided. Yes, they were trailing in the second half, but even when the Bears had the lead, they strayed from the running game. The Bears ran the ball only seven times in the first half, and did so a total of 18 times for the entire game, compared to Chicago’s 32 called pass plays. Midway through the third quarter, the running game started to pick up, but John Fox and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains felt that passing was a better option, even with Howard averaging 7.3 yards per carry.

Grade: D-