Grading the Bears: 2023 Looks Like 2022

Like many in the Bears locker room Sunday Cole Kmet meant to refocus the team after an embarrassing 38-20 loss to Green Bay.

"This is a big game just because of Bears-Packers, so it's a big game for us, but at the end of the day it's one of 17," he said.

This is either something to be glad about or a reason for dread.

Last year they at least waited until midseason before playing this way.

"We're about to be on the other side of that now; we're going to be the ones giving the beat down," Justin Jones had promised last week.

Apparently the words beat and down carry multiple meanings because this sure looked like the same old-same old, except that instead of No. 12 standing poised in the pocket and finding his receivers at will it was totally inexperienced No. 10, Jordan Love, doing it.

Meanwhile. The Bears' mobile, video game quarterback found no one open, scrambled around and either got a couple yards or got sacked. Justin Fields also threw an interception and lost a fumble on a sack.

The Packers covered up or "clouded" DJ Moore, we were told. So it was tough to see him. Quarterback P.J. Walker used to see him fine in Carolina.

Obviously it's never too early to start the Caleb Williams watch.

It all looked like a microcosm of the entire 2022 season, when the Bears got close to the mid-point and then traded Roquan Smith but then failed to win another game. These Bears got to the midpoint treading water, losing 10-6, and then collapsed.

It was suggested the Bears probably needed more time together in the training camp because they were always absent from practice with injuries and then were "ramping up" after injuries and not on the practice field. Could it be the HITS principle is simply too tough for these human beings who have been delivered by GM Ryan Poles to George McCaskey's team? Or maybe it's too tough for all human beings.

And while we're at it, try selling the public on raising taxes or at least funding infrastructure in the future for a stadium that this team will play in, Kevin Warren.

Ultimately, the highlight of this day was obviously the halftime introduction of dozens of former Bears who got to see this fiasco, including good old Curtis Enis.

Who's next for one of these, Cade McNown? Jeremiah Ratliff? Ray McDonald?

We're just getting started in this week's Bears report card and obviously there is plenty of blame and vitriol to go around.

Running Game: F

Even Fields' runs looked hap-hazard and ineffective. Green Bay either contained him or shuffled him off to the sidelines on scrambles. He had four of his runs for 23 yards in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided. The rest of the Bears ball carriers found the running room tough to locate. Between Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, D'Onta Foreman and Cole Kmet, they averaged 3.0 yards per carry with 63 yards on 21 attempts. The really interesting thing to note about this running attack was how they had four runs of 10 yards or longer, accounting for 44 yards, and then had 25 runs for 78 yards.

Passing: F

Fields kept throwing the wide receiver screens, which isn't really his fault because he's not calling the plays. However, he could have just not thrown them and run. He threw off the mark plenty of times and on most short passes was as errant as he was in games last year. His 216 passing yards were largely meaningless and his 5.8 yards per pass attempt told the story. The best ball was the 20-yard TD he led Darnell Mooney with, and then Mooney got injured at game's end on yet another short toss near the line of scrimmage. The Bears will withhold information on this injury until Wednesday because they like their secrets. Cornerback Jaire Alexander had DJ Moore's number all game and Chase Claypool played 78 snaps with two targets and no catches. It seems maybe Claypool could have used some of those practices he missed in the off-season and training camp. Fields got sacked four times and generally had little time to throw in the first half, then even less as the game wore on. Tackle Braxton Jones played almost like he did last year against Detroit, which will get him a spot behind Larry Borom on the depth chart if it continues.

Pass Defense: F

Yannick Ngakoue managed to get his sack and Tyrique Stevenson made a few nice tackles coming up on short passes. End of highlights.

Their pass rush looked no better than before they cut Trevis Gipson. In fact, probably worse. There were people watching in Row 14 who were closer to Packers tight end Luke Musgrave on a catch he made for 37 yards. Either they totally blew the coverage or he was wearing a cloak of invisibility when he ran his route. Maybe the best part of their pass defense was how they finally remembered to touch Packers receivers to the ground after they had been wide open and fell following catches. In other years, they seemed to think the player was down by falling to the ground on his own. All training camp Fields marveled at how difficult it was throwing over Tremaine Edmunds and his long reach while covering in the Bears zone, but Love didn't seem to have this problem. He threw over the middle to Aaron Jones and neither Edmunds nor T.J. Edwards, their two big linebacker acquisitions, did anything about it on a 35-yard TD. No one was around Jones on a 51-yard screen, either. Losing Kyler Gordon to a hand injury didn't help the Bears pass defense in any respect. Their backup at slot cornerback is undrafted Josh Blackwell.

Run Defense: C-

It might have been the most ineffective 2.8 yards per carry ever allowed. What the Bears did was make several tackles for loss in between getting pushed off the ball regularly. So their averages look better than they were. Green Bay came out running to start the game and to start the second half. So essentially the Bears defense made sure the Packers could run only when they really wanted to run it.

Special Teams: C+

Cairo Santos should be congratulated as the Bears player of the game for his 47-yard and 29-yard field goals, or maybe it was Patrick Scales for his snaps or Trenton Gill for punting and holding successfully on kicks.

Tyler Scott had one effective return in four for the Bears and at least new Bears punt returner Trent Taylor didn't muff the ball. Punt coverage was generally even more non-existent than last year and on one Jayden Reed had three or four seconds to survey the field before breaking off a 35-yard return. He almost seemed confused by having so much time to decide where to go. Maybe that was the Bears' strategy.

Coaching: F

Bears coaches started making their mistakes well before this game. They installed a game plan with a ton of wide receiver screens, yet held out their fastest and most powerful straight-ahead runner in Velus Jones Jr., and also kept inactive their best blocker on screens, Equanimeous St. Brown. Then they complained about not having good blocking on the wide receiver screens. Jones' inability to pick up their offense has been blamed for keeping him inactive in the past, but what's the difference if their offense can only do what it did on Sunday? He might as well play. Luke Getsy sure does love his wide receiver screens, though. No bigger an indictment of the play calling existed than when Fields was asked after the game about all the screens being used when they were losing, and he said, "that was the game plan." ... Maybe it's time to rethink the HITS principle. It's getting players hurt and then they have to ramp up and miss practice time. ... That Cole Kmet sneak play seemed to wash out last year so there was no need to revive it. ... And can someone explain why fourth-and-1 at their own 40 on the first drive of the game requires gambling instead of punting? Perhaps Eberflus has been watching too many games played by teams with real offensive lines. The game had just started. Why take a risk in your own territory then?

Overall: F

Rebuilding has been replaced by regression.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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