(670 The Score) What a deeply silly game. We’ll always be able to say we watched the Bears go on the road, start Nick Foles in a snowstorm and beat the (very bad, like so bad) Seattle Seahawks. Jimmy Graham revenge szn! Damiere Byrd’s redemption! Matt Nagy probably isn't getting fired because he won a game shortly after news leaked that he could be fired before the season ended! Again! What a ride. Here are some grades from the Bears' come-from-behind 25-24 win against the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, but they’re really more like suggestions. If you want to give the Bears straight A’s, I’m not going to stop you.
Offense: B
I’m not trying to be controversial, but I don’t think Foles is the answer. However, we all owe him for an entertaining three-plus hours on an otherwise pointless Sunday afternoon. Foles was 10-of-15 for 71 yards at halftime and finished 24-of-35 for 250 yards and one preposterous touchdown to Jimmy Graham, because of course. Why Foles threw a two-yard pass on a fourth-and-goal play from the 4-yard line, we may never know. Why he didn’t just run for that first down with the game (seemingly) on the line is another one of life’s beautiful mysteries. On a positive note – there were a couple of those, I think – maybe the best moment all day, until the last minute of the game at least, was when David Montgomery sent Seahawks defensive back Sidney Jones into next week on an 11-yard run in the first quarter. Byrd etched his name into Chicago lore as one of the more obscure trivia answers in the team’s football history. Nagy remembered that Khalil Herbert was on the team just in time for Herbert (two rushes, 21 yards) to score on a nice 20-yard run that brought the Bears within three points for a grand total of four (4) plays. For some reason, Germain Ifedi got the start at right tackle. Guess how that went? Nine Bears receivers had at least one reception, which is just fun enough of a statistic to distract everyone from the fact that their leading receiver was Montgomery. Darnell Mooney made some plays, Cole Kmet made some plays and we all felt alive for just a couple of minutes there at the end. *Chef’s kiss.*
Defense: B
Thomas Graham Jr. looked like he was in for the longest day of his life. Getting smoked by DK Metcalf on a deep ball right off the bat is the stuff of nightmares, and the way Graham responded was almost as impressive as his debut against the Vikings last Monday. He finished with a couple nice tackles to go along with a couple nice pass breakups and should probably never be benched in favor of Kindle Vildor ever again. Roquan Smith continued being Roquan Smith, and his nine total tackles led all defensive players on the Bears while he also added one quarterback hit and two tackles for loss. Robert Quinn got to Russell Wilson for his 17th sack of the season and is now set to probably break the franchise record in front of home fans, which is objectively cool. Other standouts included Artie Burns (!) (two breakups), Trevis Gipson (0.5 sacks), Bilal Nichols (0.5 sacks) and Alec Ogletree (eight tackles, one pass breakup). When you’re 5-10 and eliminated from the playoffs, giving up 135 yards on the ground just doesn’t seem to matter as much. Will you remember this game as The Game That The Bears Won But Gave Up 135 Yards To Rashaad Penny? You won't. So let’s never mention it again.
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Special teams: B
Cairo Santos got rocked on a kickoff, went to the injury tent and then nailed a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. He had five points. Pat O’Donnell nailed a 64 yard punt and also a 28-yard punt. If you can believe it, Dazz Newsome got the opportunity to play and made the most of it, including a 28-yard punt return. Herbert – remember him?! – also looked good on special teams, averaging 18.8 yards on five returns. The kids are all right.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.