Grades for Fields, offense, defense in Bears' loss vs. Falcons

Share

ATLANTA -- The Bears arrived in Atlanta looking to snap a three-game losing streak and get their season headed in the right direction. Instead, they suffered a 27-24 loss to the Falcons and left Mercedes-Benz Stadium with questions about the health of quarterback Justin Fields.

It's hard to imagine a worse outcome for the Bears.

Fields suffered a left shoulder injury on the first play of the Bears' final drive. Two plays after injuring his left shoulder, Fields threw an interception to Jaylinn Hawkins that iced the win for the Falcons.

The second-year quarterback said he was in pain after the game and is not sure if he will be able to play in Week 12 against the New York Jets.

As for what happened on the field Sunday in Atlanta, it was another example of a young team that doesn't know how to win and lacks the talent to overcome mental errors.

The Bears' offense rolled into Atlanta hotter than Hades. But poor offensive line play, stubborn play calling, and some second-half adjustments by the Falcons frustrated the Bears' offensive attack.

On defense, the Bears had some breakdowns and tackling miscues, but it wasn't their worst performance of late. Progress? Maybe.

Here's the report card for the Bears' loss in Atlanta, one that might be more costly than another tick in the loss column:

Passing offense

On paper, this was the game to let Fields sit back and air it out.

Entering the game, the Falcons had the NFL's worst pass defense. The Bears should have been able to exploit Atlanta's sketchy secondary even with the return of cornerback A.J. Terrell. On the first drive, the Bears did just that as Fields hit Darnell Mooney for a 16-yard scoring strike to tie the game at seven.

But the passing game couldn't find consistency Sunday in Atlanta. The offensive line, which was still missing starting right guard Teven Jenkins, was beaten repeatedly by Grady Jarrett and Lorenzo Carter. On the rare occasion Fields wasn't pressured, he had trouble finding an open target.

Fields did drop a couple of dimes, including a 32-yard toss to David Montgomery down the right sideline. But he finished the day just 14-for-21 for 153 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

That's not nearly good enough against the NFL's worst pass defense. If we are carving up a blame pie for the passing game issues, the offensive line and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy would own the biggest slices. But Fields also has to share the blame.

That's the starting quarterback gig.

Grade: D+

Rushing offense

The Bears' vaunted rushing attack has been running over almost everyone in its path for the past month.

A lot of that has come from Fields, who entered Sunday looking to become the first quarterback to rush for 100 or more yards in three straight games since Billy Kilmer in 1961.

But the NFL is a league of adjustments, and Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees drew up a good game plan to keep Fields from running into the history books.

The Falcons didn't sit back on the zone read and let Fields read the end. Instead, they rushed the mesh point, forcing the quarterback into a quick decision. The Falcons also played a lot of quarters coverage that allowed them to bring a safety down close in run support.

Fields still rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown but did so on 18 carries. Montgomery rushed for 67 yards on 17 carries, good for 3.9 yards per carry.

The final tally saw the Bears run for 160 yards. But those yards didn't come easy and weren't enough to get a win in Atlanta.

Grade: C

Pass defense

Like the Bears, the Falcons are a run-heavy team. So Sunday wasn't supposed to be a challenging day for the secondary.

Marcus Mariota was an efficient 13-for-20 for 131 yards and a touchdown and didn't turn the ball over despite a few throws directly at Bears defenders.

The Bears did well to contain Kyle Pitts and Drake London but couldn't capitalize on the mistakes Mariota made.

Grade: B+

Run defense

The Bears' run defense has been a problem all season, and it was something I thought the Falcons could exploit coming into the game.

The Bears had some tackling issues against Cordarrelle Patterson, but it was a decent effort by a unit with a clear talent ceiling.

RELATED: Brisker demands NFL refs give Fields same respect as other QBs

Chicago held Atlanta to 149 yards on the ground and 4.5 yards per carry. The Bears did a solid job of containing Mariota on the zone read, and the defense got back in the turnover column when Jaquan Brisker punched the ball out of Patterson's hands in the second quarter.

Was it a good outing for the Bears' run defense? No. But it was better than expected, and we're grading on a curve with a 3-8 team.

Grade: C

Special teams

Velus Jones Jr. returned and immediately gave the Bears a spark in the return game. The rookie wide receiver took his first kickoff back 55 yards to set the Bears' offense up with a short field on their first drive.

Unfortunately, Patterson one-upped Jones when he took a kickoff back 103 yards for his ninth career return touchdown. Patterson's return touchdown flipped the momentum of the game. The Bears led by 10 when the ball left Cairo Santos' foot, and in a matter of seconds, the Falcons were within three and had the wind at their back.

It wasn't the best day for Richard Hightower's unit.

Grade: D

Click here to follow the Under Center Podcast.

Contact Us