UA-59049186-1 Bears 17, Lions 14 - Recap - Good if it Goes

Bears 17, Lions 14 – Recap

Box Score

Grading Primer (I wrote this about Michigan, but the grading procedures are still relevant.)

The Bears got their first win of the year Sunday over the Lions. The Bears mostly controlled the game from start-to-finish, with the Lions giving themselves a chance late by returning a punt for a touchdown. The Bears went into the game still missing Danny Trevathan, Eddie Goldman, and Jay Cutler. Trevathan may be back this week against the Colts, the other two are still out. Also out now is Kevin White, who suffered a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula in this game. White was placed on IR, meaning he’s likely out for the season. (The Bears can bring one player back off IR, but Kyle Fuller was already on IR and seems more likely to play this season.)

Player Grades

det-o

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How’d they do?

Ratings are out of 100 and should be read similar to Madden ratings. Overall ratings for the season and the change in that number from the previous week are in parentheses.

QB: 90 (Season: 78, Change: +4)

Brian Hoyer played very well and avoided mistakes. Credit Dowell Loggains for a game plan centered around taking care of the ball and not asking Hoyer to do too much.

RB: 97 (Season: 86, Change: +3)

Jordan Howard had an excellent outing in his first game as a starter. Howard displayed great vision and a tough running style. He made a great case to remain the starter even when Jeremy Langford returns. Recently-signed Joique Bell got in for a few snaps and played pretty well.

WR: 91 (Season: 91, Change: 0)

Kevin White was injured in this one, but prior to exiting, played very well. He was starting to look really encouraging and Bears fans should be pretty excited about his potential, even if he does miss the rest of this season. Alshon Jeffery had a nice performance. Eddie Royal played very well out of the slot. Cameron Meredith had a nice game, which is encouraging, since the Bears will need someone to step up in Kevin White’s absence.

TE: 89 (Season: 87, Change: +1)

Zach Miller played well in both the passing and running games. Logan Paulsen was an effective blocker.

OL: 91 (Season: 79, Change: +2)

This was not an overly-tough Detroit front seven, but the Bears’ O-line handled them quite well. The line kept Hoyer upright and provided plenty of solid chances for Jordan Howard. If anything, some of the grades for the group understate how well they actually played.

DL: 80 (Season: 80, Change: 0)

Cornelius Washington was just okay and Mitch Unrein was kind of rough, but Akiem Hicks and Will Sutton played well. After a lousy performance against Dallas, we didn’t see Jonathan Bullard.

OLB: 84 (Season: 87, Change: -1)

The group didn’t make a great many big plays, but they didn’t make many mistakes, either. The Bears seemed content rushing four and that mostly went well enough. They weren’t constantly putting Stafford on his back, nor were they giving him all day to throw. Floyd left the game with an injury, after which we saw Christian Jones get some snaps at OLB.

ILB: 86 (Season: 88, Change: 0)

Jerrell Freeman had another nice game. John Timu was a noticeable improvement over Jonathan Anderson. Nick Kwiatkowski showed some flashes.

CB: 83 (Season: 81, Change: +2)

Tracy Porter had a really lousy game before exiting with an injury. Outside of his interception of Matthew Stafford, Jacoby Glenn wasn’t great. Bryce Callahan had an outstanding game, however. Deiondre’ Hall had a clutch interception late and Cre’Von LeBlanc was solid.

S: 84 (Season: 80, Change: +1)

Both Amos and Jones-Quartey played well. Amos was particularly impressive.

Okay, fine, let’s talk about it. No, Brian Hoyer should not start over Cutler when Cutler is able to return. I get it, Hoyer played very well. However, I’d point to four things that led to Hoyer’s good game:

  1. Dowell Loggains put Hoyer in position to succeed with a game plan centered around controlling the ball and making simple plays.
  2. The offensive line played very well and kept Hoyer upright.
  3. Jordan Howard made the most of the opportunities to gain yards given to him by the line.
  4. The Bears played the Lions.

Loggains did not call games that well for Cutler. The line did not protect Cutler that well. The line did not open holes this well for Langford and when they did, Langford was not this good. The Texans, Eagles, and Cowboys are all better than the Lions. So what exactly was Cutler’s fault? Kevin White running the wrong route in Houston? The line getting him killed in the home opener against the Eagles? Give Hoyer credit – he made the plays he needed to make. However, if you think Cutler is incapable of making those same plays, your opinion is bad and you should feel bad. Lookin’ at you, Kornheiser’s lackey. And what if the Bears weren’t able to get by on simple plays? What if they needed some big plays? Would Hoyer have been able to provide them? I know I’d trust Cutler a whole lot more in that department.

There is one spot where the current starter should remain the starter even when the original starter is healthy – running back. Jordan Howard has played well enough the last two weeks to merit being given the starting job. He runs hard and tough, finds the hole very well, and makes the most of every carry. There’s definitely a role for the speedier Langford – he and Howard would make a very nice combo – but Howard deserves the starting job.

Yet To Be Named Gimmicky Award Meant To Show Who The Best Overall Performers Were

If you have an idea of what I should call this, let me know. Twitter handle and e-mail address are at the end of the blog.

Anyway, up to 3 may be awarded per player. Not necessarily the highest-graded players since different grades mean different things to different players (refer to the primer).

Offense

3: Jordan Howard, Josh Sitton, Brian Hoyer, Eddie Royal

2: Zach Miller, Cody Whitehair

1: Charles Leno, Jr., Kyle Long, Bobby Massie, Kevin White

Defense

3: Bryce Callahan, Jerrell Freeman

2: Adrian Amos, Sam Acho

1: Akiem Hicks, Will Sutton, John Timu

Yet To Be Named Gimmicky Award Meant To Show Who The Best Overall Performers Were Count

awards-4

Bear Down!

Twitter: @KSchroeder_312

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com

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