(670 The Score) Just get out of bounds, Ihmir Smith-Marsette! Just get out of bounds! What looked like it was shaping up to be an exciting final minute ended up as the second back-breaking, game-sealing fumble in as many weeks for the Bears (2-3), who were handed a brutal 29-22 loss to the Vikings on Sunday afternoon when Smith-Marsette fumbled late with Chicago driving. There was a very, very bad first half along with a very, very … entertaining? … second half that surely won't keep everyone up at night wondering what could've been. Here are some grades for the Bears' most confusing game of the season so far.
Offense: C+
On the Bears' first drive of the game – their first play, specifically – they were flagged for a delay-of-game because fullback Khari Blasingame was late getting to his spot on the field in an empty set. Not to be outdone, they opened their second drive of the day with an illegal motion and a fumbled snap. It didn't get much better for most of the first half. Receiver Dante Pettis dropped fairly easy catches on two different third-down targets, and there were multiple penalties on the offensive line. A truly insane one-handed catch from receiver Darnell Mooney accounted for more than half of quarterback Justin Fields' passing yards in the first half (73), and the offense found the end zone a few plays later on running back David Montgomery's nine-yard scoring run. The Bears' opening drive of the second half was beautiful, as Fields made a half-dozen nice plays with both his arm and his legs as Chicago went 67 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Fields capped the drive off with a touchdown "pass" to rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr. Fields' confidence was clearly building in the second half, and it was a shame to see his best play of the game – a 50-plus-yard touchdown scramble that would've given the Bears the lead – called back because of a (kinda ticky-tacky) illegal block-in-the-back penalty. You know who had an encouraging day? Tight end Cole Kmet! He may have only had four receptions for 45 yards, but it looked a whole lot better than previous weeks.
Defense: C-
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins finished the first drive 7-for-7 for 68 yards. After the Vikings' second drive? He was 13-of-13 for 125 yards. And after their third? He was 17-of-17 for 176 yards and a touchdown. If you can believe it, he broke a 43-year-old Vikings record for consecutive completions to start a game. Receiver Justin Jefferson didn't break any records (advantage: Bears), only finishing the first half with 10 catches and 130 yards. Through two quarters, the Bears' defense allowed 307 total yards, gave up 19 first downs and produced just one third-down stop. Defensive lineman Justin Jones had a sack though! Somehow, the Bears only went into the locker room down 11 points. Cornerback Kindle Vildor's first interception of the season felt like the moment that could've led to a Bears' upset win, but on the Vikings' following 17-play drive, they converted on five separate third downs en route to the eventual game-winning touchdown – the first second-half touchdown the Bears have allowed all season. It was a valiant effort, especially in the second half, but Cousins still went 32-of-41 or 296 yards, Jefferson had 154 receiving yards and running back Dalvin Cook added 94 rushing yards with two scores. The first half is going to haunt some Bears for a long, long time.
Special teams: A-
There was some good and some bad from the Bears special teams, but what's most important to remember is that it was EXCITING. A 60-yard punt from Trenton Gill? An onside kick immediately after going for a two-point conversion in the third quarter? A blocked field goal?!? Kicker Cairo Santos was once again money in converting all three of his field-goal attempts, and Jones scored a touchdown (technically on offense but whatever) and notably didn't have any back-breaking late fumbles. This Bears unit wasn't the group that let Cousins set a new completions record in one half alone, so for that, it gets an A-.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
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