Bears report card: Team grades in NFL Week 14 loss to Packers

GREEN BAY, Wisc. —  The Bears weren’t able to come through in the clutch on Sunday, as they have so many times before, falling 28-21 to the rival Green Bay Packers here at Lambeau Field.

It was a difficult result because of the opponent, the stakes and the manner in which they lost. They fell to a hated rival. They dropped to the NFC’s No. 7 overall seed after sitting atop the conference. And they lost on a Caleb Williams interception in the end zone with less than a minute left.

In a word: ouch.

[MORE: Packers 28, Bears 21: Three observations in Chicago’s NFL Week 14 loss]

That one stung, especially with Jaylon Johnson correctly calling this a “winnable game.” It certainly was, but the Bears let it slip due to poor execution at inopportune times.

That impacted how they graded out overall in this Week 14 Bears report card:

Rushing offense

Running well is a foundational element of this Bears offense. Despite that fact, head coach/offensive play caller Ben Johnson called the game’s second run on the third Bears drive. There’s greater context to that, as the Bears struggled to stay on schedule and get much of anything going early on. The run game heated up later on, finishing with 138 yards on 32 carries. The offensive line was moving people in the second half, never more so than on a 17-play drive in the second half.

D’Andre Swift averaged 4.8 yards per carry and Kyle Monangai 4.1 despite Green Bay’s clear emphasis on stopping the run.

Grade: B

Passing offense

Caleb Williams and his receivers were out of sync and pass protection struggled in the early going but got better in the second half. Caleb Williams turned it on with some nice throws to Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III. DJ Moore was a complete non-factor in a game where the Bears needed their star to step up.

Williams ended up with two touchdown passes and a 62% completion rate in the second half, but his end-game interception was late and underthrown and cost his team dearly. That’s a major no-no and will drive a grade through the floor.

Grade: D-plus

[READ: Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 14 loss to Packers]

Rushing defense

Josh Jacobs is a tough dude to tackle. He ended up with 86 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. When the Bears had to get a stop in the second half, they let Jacobs run all over them. Three guys couldn’t take him down on third-and-2, when he rumbled for 21 yards and put the Packers in scoring position. The Packers had eight first downs by run and were able to convert third downs often because the run game kept them on schedule. The Bears front didn’t get wrecked, but they weren’t dominant up front, either.

Grade: B-minus

Passing defense

The Bears don’t often give up explosive plays in the passing game. They gave up three for passing downs. Christian Watson had a long catch-and-run. He had another from 23 yards out. The Bo Melton 45-yard touchdown strike was by far the worst, occurring with less than a minute left in the first half. That sequence was a damning as the Williams interception, something that just can’t happen. Jordan Love was sacked once and hit another time, both by Montez Sweat. That was it for the pass rush, which wasn’t disruptive. The secondary took responsibility for this one. That’s a team strength, and they should’ve been better on this night.

Grade: C-minus

[WATCH: Scott Bair: Why Bears comeback fell short]

Special teams

Cairo Santos hit his only field-goal attempt, but a kickoff that didn’t make the landing zone at the end of the first half proved costly. It set the Packers up for the Melton touchdown which, as we’ve discussed, was a major turning point in the game. Tory Taylor dropped one inside the 20 but drove one too hard and inte the endzone. That Santos mistake was costly in the grand scheme.

Grade: C

Coaching

Head coach Ben Johnson’s early game plan didn’t work or, more likely, wasn’t executed well. He made some smart adjustments in the second half, got the run game going and used some creative play designs to get the offense. He got a challenge right, and while some questioned his late-game decision to let the clock run, I didn’t mind it.

And, while it’s a rarity this season, but I think defensive coordinator Dennis Allen got bested as a play caller by Green Bay head coach/offensive mastermind Matt LaFleur.

Grade: C

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