Week 14 Report Card: Too many lapses

December, 9, 2012
12/09/12
6:10
PM CT
By Michael C. Wright | ESPNChicago.com

Week 14 Report Card: Minnesota Vikings 21, Chicago Bears 14

Forte
A-

Rushing Offense

It's probably shocking to read here right now that the Bears averaged 6.6 yards per attempt against the Vikings. But it's true. The problem was the Bears couldn't run the ball as much as they probably would have liked because they played from behind the entire game. Matt Forte averaged 6.5 yards per attempt and broke a 36-yarder. Michael Bush ran the ball only once, but again, that was a function of the team being forced to play from behind.

Cutler
F+

Passing Offense

Although official statistics say Jay Cutler threw just one pick-six, we'll say he threw two considering Josh Robinson's return to the Chicago 5 set up Adrian Peterson's second 1-yard scoring run. The receiving corps didn't give the quarterback much help with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery dropping catchable passes while tight end Kellen Davis continued his usual struggles. Forte and Devin Hester caught most of the balls Cutler tossed their way, and it was refreshing to see the quarterback go to other targets not named Marshall. Still, this wasn't good enough; not even close.

Peterson
F

Rushing Defense

Minnesota seized control of the game immediately by establishing Peterson, and never relinquished it. Yes, the Bears for the most part defended Peterson well in the second half by holding him to 29 yards on 13 carries. But by the time the Bears finally woke up on defense, Peterson had already delivered the knockout blow. Several players claimed the team may have come out flat. Well, that's not something teams can afford to do in December, and a veteran team such as the Bears should know that as well as anyone.

Ponder
A-

Passing Defense

Christian Ponder didn't even crack 100 yards passing, but he didn't really have to because the Vikings were so successful running the ball. The Bears held tight end Kyle Rudolph without a catch, and Minnesota's leading receiver, Michael Jenkins, finished with 36 yards. Major Wright picked off a pass after dropping one in the loss the week before to the Seattle Seahawks. The Bears limited Ponder to a passer rating of 53.8 and sacked him once.

Hester
C+

Special Teams

Eric Weems averaged just 14.8 yards on kickoff returns, but Hester brought a little bit of excitement back to the return game with five punt returns for 58 yards, including a 21-yard return. With Robbie Gould suffering an injury during pre-game warm-ups, punter Adam Podlesh stepped in on kickoffs and performed reasonably well. Zack Bowman made a nice play in knocking a ball to Weems that was downed at the Minnesota 1 late in the third quarter.

Lovie Smith
C-

Coaching

This grade could actually be a little higher because it's not the coaching staff's fault the defense allowed Peterson to go wild in Minnesota's first drive. The defensive coaches teach the proper technique to defend the run. But it's up to the players to execute the schemes, and they failed in that area, which compounded the type of game the offensive staff could call on the other side of the ball. The defense's failure to perform in a single drive basically threw the entire game off-kilter. We're not sure that's the coaching staff's fault.

Michael C. Wright | email

Chicago Bears beat reporter
Wright joined ESPNChicago in April 2010 after spending the previous four seasons covering the Jaguars. He also covered the Redskins for two seasons. A native Texan, Wright was a four-year football letterman at West Texas A&M University.
Tags:

Michael Wright, Chicago Bears, 2012 Regular Season, 2012 Report Cards, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings

SPONSORED HEADLINES

ESPN Conversations


You must be signed in to post a comment

Already have an account?

You are fully responsible for the content you post. Content that includes profanity, personal attacks or antisocial behavior (such as "spamming" or "trolling"), or other inappropriate content or material will be removed. We reserve the right to block any user who violates our terms of use, including removing all content posted by that user.

2013 CHICAGO BEARS DRAFT PICKS

RDPICK NAME
1#20 (20) Kyle Long, OL, Oregon
2#18 (50) Jonathan Bostic, LB, Florida
4#20 (117) Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers
5#30 (163) Jordan Mills,OT, Louisiana Tech
6#20 (188) Cornelius Washington, DE, Georgia
7#30 (236) Marquess Wilson, WR, Wash. St.

ESPN Chicago Draft Coverage »

50 GREATEST BEARS OF ALL TIME

50 Greatest Bears
An ESPN Chicago panel of experts compiled its list of the 50 Greatest Bears of all-time. Take a look at our list and put together a list of your own. Gallery Photo Gallery  Rank 'em »

TEAM RESOURCES

ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jeff Dickerson
Jeff Dickerson

Dickerson is a Bears beat reporter and weeknight host on ESPN 1000. He's been covering the Bears since 2004.

Send questions and comments »

Michael Wright
Michael C. Wright

Wright joined ESPNChicago in April 2010 after spending the previous four seasons covering the Jaguars. He also covered the Redskins for two seasons. A native Texan, Wright was a four-year football letterman at West Texas A&M University.

Send questions and comments »

SUBSCRIBE:

BLOG ARCHIVE:

CATEGORIES:

RECENT UPDATES

CHICAGO BEARS ON TWITTER

Follow @ESPNChiBears »

SEARCH THIS BLOG

SUPER BOWL XX: 25 YEARS LATER

HammerTwenty-five years after the Bears' Super Bowl run, ESPNChicago.com revisits their title season. Home page »