2022 Week 9: Chicago Bears 32, Miami Dolphins 35

By Kevin Schroeder
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Updated: November 13, 2022

Hold me closer, tiny Dolphin [Photo: Highlight Heaven on YouTube]

Player Grades

The grading scale goes from -3 to +3 for each play. Screens are graded as runs. Penalties are counted in whatever phase they were committed. Pre- and post-snap penalties are in the “Misc.” column. “Short” throws are 10 yards or less, “Medium” is 10-20, “Deep” is over 20. Everything else (scrambles, throwaways, reads, etc.) is under “Miscellaneous.” Parentheses in a column denote grades/snaps from the opposite side of the ball and are not included in grades/snaps from the player’s usual side. Snap counts are from Pro Football Reference. Box score and other relevant info can be found at that link as well.

So, where ya been?

The short week after the Monday night game came at a really bad time for me; I was too busy to get that one done before the Dallas game. I was still going to do it, then the trade deadline came and Poles got rid of the team’s best player for no good reason, so I didn’t see a reason to grade the defense from the New England or Dallas games at that point. I suppose I could still do the offense, but what it would show is “Fields played well, but his receivers stink” and then Poles too a step, albeit a relatively pricey one, to remedy that, so we’re just going to pick it up from here. We’re going to reset the start count for the second half of the season and declare Roquan Smith and Eddie Jackson co-champions of the first half, as Roquan was only half a star behind BoJack when we last met and probably would have gotten 4 from the New England game had I graded it and also, this is my blog and my rules, so it’s a tie.

Speaking of which, how about those deadline moves?

Quinn: C. I would’ve given Poles a B here, but I docked him a letter grade for turning in the assignment 7 months late. This really should’ve been an off-season trade. His stock was never going to get higher. If you were going to move Khalil Mack, and I still don’t think they should have, considering that the free agent edge rusher market doesn’t look great (the best idea out there is probably Yannick Ngakoue), and even if a good option does present itself, you’re gonna have to fork out big bucks anyway, Mack should’ve been the guy you held onto until the deadline.

Roquan: F. Frankly, I’d like to give Poles a G or an H here. Dude should’ve been a franchise cornerstone. You’re gonna have the GDP of a small nation in cap space this off-season. You could’ve easily paid him. Now, you’ve got another major hole on defense and you told the upcoming free agents out there that you’re gonna be stingy and stubborn.

Claypool: C+. He’s yet to realize the promise he showed as a rookie. Kind of an overpay to find out if there’s something there. Probably not a true WR1. HOWEVA, this scheme should fit him really well & now this eliminates one of the excuses for Fields. Time to see if he’s the guy.

Speaking of which, The Guy?

I mean, maybe. Starting to kind of look like it, I guess. Look, the offense was actually fun to watch in this game and has been since the New England game. Fields broke the regular season record for most rushing yards in a game by a QB, which is cool and all, but we really didn’t learn much about him in this game. We knew he was a great athlete and a great runner. Can he be a great passer? The Claypool trade should help us answer that once he’s fully integrated into the offense, but I’m thinking we’ll have to wait until next year to truly find out the answer since the line still stinks. Like, look at those pass pro grades. No bueno. The silver lining here is that it gives me hope that Luke Getsy is calling the stuff he’s calling to use Fields’ legs more because he knows the line can’t really handle pass pro and not because he thinks Fields is Lamar 2.0/Vick 3.0. That TD pass to Mooney suggests Fields can be the passer he needs to be in today’s NFL if given time to do so. This is rather important, as the run-first stuff simply isn’t sustainable; you’re exposing your most important player to way too many hits and defenses will eventually figure it out anyway.

Is there anything on defense?

I’m glad Poles recognized Eddie Jackson’s value and kept him. He’s been an ideal Tampa-2 safety this year. Jaquan Brisker makes the Mack trade sting a little less. Jaylon Johnson had a rough outing against the Dolphins, but when nobody’s getting any pressure, your coverage is only going to be so effective. Kyler Gordon has shown flashes, but had a rough game here, too. Otherwise, woof. Justin Jones had a few nice plays, but really isn’t the 3-tech this defense needs and I have doubts about his ability to hold up as a 1-tech. Nicholas Morrow might be serviceable and Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson might have some value as depth pieces. Jack Sanborn drew praise for his play against the run and rightfully so, but in coverage, was often lost or just not quick enough. This team’s going to need, at minimum, two edge rushers, a 3-tech, an OLB, and a corner, and that’s if the staff believes Jones can be the 1-tech.

Monsters

Jenkins was awesome. Fields, as stated earlier, set a record. Eddie Jackson had another really good game.

Chipmunks

All other offensive line persons. St. Brown dropped a pass for a first down that would’ve extended the game. The sizable contingent of defensive persons who graded out in the negative.

Four Stars of the Game

Teven Jenkins