Bears Week 2 grades: The loss to Tampa Bay was as bad as you thought

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QUARTERBACK: F

The two interceptions and lost fumble charged to Glennon are impossible to get past. The first interception came on a quick gain play when Glennon locked into the stick route ran by tight end Dion Sims and failed to see linebacker Kwon Alexander, who jumped the route to pick the pass off (tight end Adam Shaheen was open on the play, too). Glennon said he could’ve got the ball out sooner or moved better in the pocket on the fumble he lost when his arm was hit. And on his final interception — a pick six — Glennon thought he saw Josh Bellamy beat cornerback Robert McClain, but the throw was still dangerous and he admitted he should've gone to another progression. Glennon’s decision-making simply has to be better. 

RUNNING BACK: D-

Tarik Cohen (seven carries, 13 yards) and Jordan Howard (nine carries, seven yards) were ineffective on the ground, though Cohen caught eight passes for 55 yards and continues to be a factor in the passing game. Neither Howard — who declined to speak to reporters for the second consecutive game — nor Cohen got much help from the Bears’ offensive line, for what it’s worth, and credit should be given to a disruptive Tampa Bay front seven. But for the Bears’ offense to be at its best, it has to get more than 20 yards on 16 carries from its running backs. 

WIDE RECEIVER: C+

While this was still a game, the Bears’ receivers did what was asked of them, consistently getting open and catching the ball over the middle. Kendall Wright in particular was involved early and often, which was a good sign after a quiet first half last week against Atlanta. Still, there will be a ceiling on how good this unit can be so long as they don’t have someone who can stretch the field — in other words, until Markus Wheaton plays. And for as solid as this unit was in the first half, it combined for four drops in the in the fourth quarter. That can’t happen even if a game is out of reach. 

TIGHT END: C-

Some of the Bears’ ineffectiveness running the football falls on the tight ends, too. Zach Miller had six catches for 42 yards and was a reliable target for Glennon, though the only time Sims was targeted was on that pass Alexander picked off. Shaheen only played a handful of plays and wasn’t a factor, though it might've been nice to see him get an opportunity to catch some passes in the second half. 

OL: D-

Gerald McCoy and the Buccaneers’ front seven gave the Bears’ offensive line fits, and even before Tom Compton’s game-ending hip injury, this unit was struggling to get a consistent push for Howard and Cohen. The Bears will have to hope Kyle Long — who didn’t travel to Tampa — can return to the lineup in Week 3 against Pittsburgh. But if there are concerns about playing Mitchell Trubisky behind this offensive line, it’s worth noting Glennon was only sacked once on Sunday. 

DL: C-

Eddie Goldman recorded a sack, a hurry and a tackle for a loss while Akiem Hicks stuffed Charles Sims on third-and-one to force the punt Cohen fumbled. Mitch Unrein had a tackle for a loss and a hurry, too. This unit made the fewest mistakes of any on the Bears’ defense, but also didn’t get enough pressure on Jameis Winston, who was largely unbothered in the pocket. 

LB: C-

Danny Trevathan was whistled for two holding penalties and Willie Young was flagged for another, all of which allowed the Buccaneers to convert third downs and keep scoring drives alive. Losing Nick Kwiatkoski to a pec injury hurt. Positives here: Willie Young recording his first sack of the year and Pernell McPhee forcing a fumble, which was recovered by Leonard Floyd for the Bears’ first takeaway of 2017. 

DB: C-

Mike Evans got his against the secondary, catching seven passes for 93 yards with a touchdown (that touchdown came on a perfectly-placed back-shoulder throw, which gave Marcus Cooper no chance to make a play on it). The most egregious of those catches was a 17-yard gain on third-and-5 late in the second quarter that led to a Nick Folk field goal. The Bears were able to bottle up DeSean Jackson, who only caught three passes for 39 yards, while tight ends Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard combined for three catches and 41 yards. 

For the defense as a whole, they were dealt sudden-change short fields and extended drives, which was made worse by the sweltering heat of Tampa. A C- grade across the board seems right. 

“Just because the ball was in their hands doesn’t mean they have to score,” Hicks said. “I think collectively we can do a little bit better.” 

SPECIAL TEAMS - F

Cohen’s ill-fated attempt to field a punt led to a predictable fumble and Buccaneers touchdown. It was the major rookie mistake, one he admitted was “dumb” after the game: “If I had to do it again I would just stay away from the ball,” Cohen said. Tanner Gentry committed an unnecessary roughness penalty on a kick return that backed the Bears up to their own 12-yard line at the end of the first quarter. 

COACHING - F

The Bears were sloppy not only with those four turnovers, but with the eight penalties the team committed, and mental mistakes don't reflect well on a coaching staff. John Fox is now 0-8 in September as coach of the Bears, with those eight defeats coming by an average of 15.6 points. And too, this loss didn’t show any improvement from 2016’s 36-10 defeat in Tampa, a notable concern in Fox’s third year in Chicago. 

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