What marks do the Bears get after their 24-20 comeback win against the Giants at Soldier Field?
QUARTERBACK — B-PLUS
Caleb Williams was going to have some explaining to do after he was indecisive and out of rhythm — and being outplayed by Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart — for most of the game. But then the Bears’ back-to-back touchdown drives in the fourth quarter happened, with Williams in the role of superhero, and it sure was impressive. He put balls where he needed to, to Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland. He overcame drops by receivers. He shrugged off big hits, protected the football, saved his best runs for last and, smelling the goal line, found another gear. In the end, he added a fourth game-winning drive this season, which is kind of becoming his thing. You want to complain about 220 yards and a touchdown with his arm, and 63 and a TD with his legs? Knock yourselves out.
WIDE RECEIVERS — C
Rome Odunze had a solid bounce-back game — six catches, 86 yards, a touchdown — though he got upward of 10 fingertips on a deep ball in the fourth quarter and couldn’t pull it in. Rookie Luther Burden contributed three catches for 51 yards on only three targets. The whole class is glaring at Olamide Zaccheaus, who brought everybody’s grade down with a trio of all-out drops. One was in the end zone on a perfectly thrown ball. Another was right at the first-down marker. A third happened deep over the middle as the Bears were furiously trying to come back. What is this, JV ball?
LINEBACKERS — C-MINUS
The absence of injured T.J. Edwards was felt by the Bears. Unfortunately, so was the presence of Noah Sewell. In the second quarter, Sewell negated Andrew BIllings’ 10-yard sack by smacking Dart upside the head for a 15-yard roughing penalty. On Dart’s 24-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, Sewell completely lost track of him and looked like a spectator as the rookie flew by. On a key third-and-one in the fourth quarter, running back Devin Singletary took a pass from Russell Wilson behind the line of scrimmage, got wrapped up by Sewell and simply shedded him before turning up the sideline for a 41-yard gain that led to a field goal and a two-score Giants lead. Tremaine Edmunds tipped the ball as Wilson was throwing on fourth down on the Giants’ final possession, icing things.
SECONDARY — B
There were coverage issues — Dart threw for 199 yards in the first half — but there were some seriously clutch moments, too. What an afternoon it was for C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who blitzed for a pair of sacks — the second one, with the veteran Wilson at the controls, as important a play as there was in the game — and forced a fumble with a hit on Dart on what turned out to be Dart’s final snap. Safety Jaquan Brisker had a terrific breakup of a fourth-down pass to Daniel Bellinger in the end zone, going up high to tear the ball from the tight end’s mitts for a turnover on downs.
COACHING — C-PLUS
The Bears didn’t have anything easy dialed up in short-yardage situations, fourth-down throws among them. There was no rhythm to the offense before Williams took matters into his own hands (and legs) late. But Ben Johnson gets some credit for his team rallying for another win, and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen gets a hearty back-slap for — if nothing else — unleashing the best blitz all season exactly when it was needed.
