Bears Report Card: Offensive Identity Crisis Is Over

The Minnesota Vikings hardly resemble the team which beat New Orleans in last year's playoffs.

Their defense has been gutted and struggled through big chunks of this season.

Yet, denying progress made by the Bears on offense in their 33-27 victory Sunday over the Vikings based on the inadequacies of an opponent fails to recognize reality.

The Bears have found their offensive identity.

"We have more of an identity right now," quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said. "It starts with running the football and then the play-action, movement game that comes off that and just being efficient on first and second down and being a balanced offense."

This is a much-improved offense based largely on balance.

Being able to run makes so much else easier on offense and backs your own defense up in several ways.

If the Bears continue run-blocking this well, they're going to have some difficult decisions to make next year on starters at guard.

Fortunately, they don't need to be thinking about next year yet because their playoff chances remain real and depend upon winning out while the Arizona Cardinals lose to either San Francisco or the Los Angeles Rams.

Here are the grades from a do-or-die game won on the road against a capable opponent, something the Bears did for the first time under Matt Nagy.

Running Game: A

It was shocking to see a Bears running back with 32 rushing attempts a week after coach Matt Nagy said he thought 15 to 20 carries was suffcient for Montgomery. It was their most attempts since beating Baltimore in overtime in Mitchell Trubisky's rookie year. Getting fewer carries seems a crime considering what Montgomery has shown he can do. Guards Alex Bars and Cody Whitehair and center Sam Mustipher were reaching the second level with their blocks, making it easier for Montgomery to break tackles. And he doesn't really need help doing this. This was their best run-blocking effort since Nagy became coach. Their next goal should be signing Spencer Ware because they are short-handed.

Passing Game: B

The interception Mitchell Trubisky threw tainted what could have been an easier victory. He made the right choices and throws all day until that ill-advised pass, but the red-zone pick has always been his specialty -- he led the league at it last year. Because of the running game's success, Trubisky was able to average 9.0 yards per attempt, a winning average in any league. Darnell Mooney set a Bears season record for rookie receptions by a wide receiver in this game and continued to show speed doesn't always have to be used downfield. It was a quiet day for Allen Robinson until they needed him, and he was there in the end with four catches for 83 yards.

Run Defense B-

The best thing they did was shut down the Vikings on short-yardage plays, and also limit Dalvin Cook's consistency. He needs to get rolling to have success and occasionally he gashed them for runs of 10 to 20 yards but they'd follow it with a tackle at the line of scrimmage to disrupt a series. They had no official tackles for loss but Bilal Nichols, Akiem Hicks and Danny Trevathan came up big when necessary.

Pass Defense: B-

Considering they had to make it work without Buster Skrine and Jaylon Johnson, they can't complain about giving up 271 yards and eight catches for 104 yards to Justin Jefferson. They gave up nothing longer than 26 yards to Jefferson, though, as they kept a lid on big gains except for a few catch-and-run throws to tight ends. No Vikings wide receiver or tight end made more than three catches. Possibly the best aspect of their pass defense was the rush. Three sacks didn't tell the full story. The 11 quarterback hits showed they kept Kirk Cousins under constant pressure and the sacks early in the game set a tone. Robert Quinn even checked in with a strip-sack.

Special Teams: A

When a kicker goes 4-for-4 from any range they're getting it done and Cairo Santos made three from 40 and beyond, which is always big. Special teams help control field position and the Vikings never began a drive beyond their own 25 until their final possession. The Bears had six dries start beyond their own 25.

Coaching: A

They didn't make dopey decisions like Minnesota did, going for a fourth down in their own territory in the second quarter and then passing on fourth-and-1 with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor refused to take his foot off the running game accelerator, and they were better for the 2-to-1 run-to-pass ratio. Matt Nagy didn't get carried away with playoff talk and kept the team focused in the moment through a week of preparation despite a COVID-19 scare.

Overall: A-

It's the first time their offense has scored 30 points or more in three straight games since Marc Trestman was coach in 2013. Now they have to stretch it to four straight and keep from doing what the Rams did Sunday against the Jets.

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