Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears' Week 6 Report Card

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

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Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Whatever optimism fans had for the Chicago Bears at the beginning of the season just might have all gone out the window after their disappointing 17-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. Just like the rest of the games this year, the Bears (1-5) moved the ball offensively, but couldn’t get into the end zone enough. The defense did what they could, but when it mattered most, surrendered big plays that resulted in this tragic defeat.

Prior to this game, the Jaguars lost 17 of their last 18 road games. So, to think that Chicago had a great chance of coming away with their second victory of the season wasn’t farfetched. However, with 10 team penalties, a running game that was stuck in neutral, and not converting on their last eight third downs, the Bears are now facing the strong possibility of ending the year with the first overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft in their possession.

Here’s how Chicago fared in their unacceptable loss to the Jaguars.

Quarterback

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For the fourth consecutive game, Brian Hoyer threw for over 300 yards (302), and managed to keep his number of interceptions on the season at zero. Hoyer became the first quarterback to throw for over 300 yards against the Jags’ seventh-ranked pass defense this season. The eight-year veteran showed good pocket awareness, and did a good job at spreading the ball to multiple receivers. However, Hoyer did overthrow Alshon Jeffery in the end zone late in the first quarter, and missed him again in the back of the end zone later in the third quarter. A couple of touchdowns would have made that 300-yard game (and the scoreboard) look much better.

Grade: C

Running Backs

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The Jordan Howard that we saw over the last two weeks was nowhere to be found against the Jaguars. Howard found it extremely hard to run the ball, and finished the game with 34 yards on 15 carries, and scored the Bears’ only touchdown. Fellow running back Ka’Deem Carey had a little bit more success with nine carries for 50 yards. Neither back played a major role in the passing game. Howard hauled in two catches for only six yards, while Carey dropped a wide open pass in the flat on third down on the Bears’ first drive of the second half.

Grade: C-

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

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Alshon Jeffery was running a clinic against Jaguars rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey in the first half, catching six passes for 90 yards. Unfortunately, Jeffery’s performance dramatically declined in the second half, hauling in only one pass for three yards. Second-year wide receiver Cameron Meredith once again was the standout in the Bears’ receiving corps. Meredith had 11 receptions for 113 yards (both game-highs), giving him his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game. Eddie Royal chipped in with four catches for 54 yards, but exited the game with a toe injury. Tight end Zach Miller was virtually quiet with six catches for 36 yards.

Grade: C

Offensive Line

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Chicago’s pass protection wasn’t completely perfect, but they did manage to surrender only one sack. The disappointing thing was the fact that the offensive line couldn’t jumpstart the Bears’ running game against a Jacksonville defense that gave up an average of 105.8 rushing yards per game, and 4.0 yards per carry. On the day, Chicago averaged only 3.4 yards per carry, and didn’t eclipse 100 yards as a team.

Grade: C

Defensive Line

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The Bears’ defensive line did exactly what was expected of them. Coming into Week 6, the Jaguars were 30th in running the ball, and finished the game with only 54 rushing yards. The 2.7 yards per carry Chicago allowed made Jacksonville’s offense one-dimensional, virtually eliminating the ground attack.

Grade: B

Linebackers

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Because of the defensive line’s play, Chicago’s linebackers had an easy time stuffing the holes against the running game. Jacksonville’s running backs and tight ends were a nonfactor in the passing game, thanks to the coverage from the Bears’ linebacking corps. Willie Young recorded two sacks and a forced fumble. Unfortunately, three of the Bears’ 10 penalties were committed by the linebackers, including a facemask penalty by Young that led to the Jag’s first touchdown of the game.

Grade: C+

Defensive Backs

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Chicago’s secondary played well in the first three quarters of the game, allowing Jags quarterback Blake Bortles to pass for only 138 yards. Tracy Porter ended a red zone scare when he picked off Bortles in the end zone on Jacksonville’s first drive of the game. However, the secondary collapsed when Bortles threw for 133 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars’ game-winning touchdown was scored by Arrelious Benn, after Porter fell in coverage.

Grade: D+

Special Teams

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Connor Barth actually looked like a good NFL kicker, connecting on all three of his field goal attempts. Punter Pat O’Donnell had a long of 50 yards, and landed four of his six punts inside the 20-yard line. A block-in-the-back penalty by Jacoby Glenn pushed the Bears’ offense deep into their own territory. The field position battle got worse when Eddie Royal failed to catch a short punt that landed at the Bears’ 42-yard line and ended up rolling all the way to the 20.

Grade: C

Coaching

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Chicago’s coaching staff actually called more than 20 run plays throughout the game, but they got little to nothing from the ground attack. So, the high number of pass plays (51) is understandable. However, the play calling did seem too conservative at times when the Bears could have just put the game out of reach; which explains the low score. Another head-scratcher was John Fox’s decision to not use any of their three timeouts near the end of the first half in an attempt to put points on the board before halftime.

Grade: D