GRADING THE BEARS
QUARTERBACK
AThe Bears employed Mitch Trubisky a little more like he’s supposed to be used, and it paid off as the rookie was 25- for32 for 271 yards with 1 TD and 0 INTs for a 112.4 rating. Threw an illegal forward pass in the second quarter, but played well enough overall to make that an aggressive mistake he can learn from.
RUNNING BACKS
A+The Jordan Howard- Tarik Cohen duo was at its best, combining for 227 yards on 35 carries. Howard led the way with 23 carries for 147 yards and two TDs. Cohen was a nice complement with 12 carries for 80 yards.
RECEIVERS
ABest day yet for the Bears’ be league red WR corps. Kendall Wright ( 10 catches, 107 yards) had the first 100- yard game for a WR this season. Josh Bellamy added 2 catches for 52 yards. Shaheen’s production ( 5 targets, 4- 44, 1 TD) was an encouraging development.
OFFENSIVE LINE
A-Solid across- the- board effort netted the Bears 482 yards and 6.7 yards per play. Cody Whitehair, in particular, excelled in the middle vs. any defender he was up against. Tom Compton filled in ably for Kyle Long, though he had an illegal block that nullified a Cohen TD reception in the second quarter.
DEFENSIVE LINE
AEddie Goldman’s absence because of a hip injury left the Bears short- handed, but it rarely showed as John Jenkins filled in, and the Bears stymied the Bengals’ running game. Roy Robertson- Harris had a sack that nearly was a safety.
LINEBACKERS
ADanny Trevathan ( 10 tackles) and Nick Kwiatkoski ( 2 pass breakups) were active to lead a strong performance. Trevathan deflected a pass to force a punt when the game was close. Lamarr Houston and Howard Jones had sacks.
SECONDARY
A+Eddie Jackson had an INT off a deflected pass ( credit to Bryce Callahan for good coverage) and stripped A. J. Green for a fumble and recovery. Kyle Fuller’s defense vs. Green ( 12 targets, 5 catches, 64 yards) set the tone. Fuller had 3 pass breakups. Prince Amukamara had 6 tackles and a PBU.
SPECIAL TEAMS
BMike Nugent’s missed PAT early seemed like a play that would come back to haunt the Bears, but it did not. Nugent made FGs of 34 and 27 yards. Pat O’Donnell ( 43.3 net) had 2 of 3 punts inside the 20. Coverage units got the job done.
COACHING
A-At a time when they could’ve packed it in, the Bears played well and took advantage of an opponent that has its own issues. Better use of Trubisky and Shaheen counts for something. John Fox was 1- for- 2 on challenges.