Grading the Chicago Bears against the Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals punched the already reeling Chicago Bears in the gut on Sunday.
Here's how we graded the Bears after their 29-9 loss to the Cardinals.
Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears did nothing to help their rookie quarterback.
We can't grade Williams, because whatever he did there's an asterisk next to it.
William was running for his life consistently. He was sacked or hit most of the evening. He struggled to get into a rhythm.
When Williams did find his open receivers, those receivers dropped passes. Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen had drops, and the offensive scheme did not change or assist him in any way.
We can't grade a performance where no one came to Williams' aid.
Grade: (Incomplete)
Matt Eberflus
After a terse week, where his accountability was questioned and the Bears left plenty in-house, Eberflus admitted to making the wrong defensive calls at the end of the first half.
He also left Williams in the game during garbage time when the outcome was decided.
Williams walked gingerly off the field as the game ended. It's inexcusable that Williams was in the game at that moment.
Grade: F
The offensive line
It was already a difficult day for the Bears' offensive line.
Down to their third left tackle, the Bears lost Darnell Wright in the fourth quarter. By that time, the damage was done.
The line had no answer for the Cardinals' pass rush. Williams was running for his life, and that materialized on the stat sheet with six sacks and nine quarterback hits.
It's hard to fault an already short-handed line, though.
Grade: D
Shane Waldron
The Cardinals ranked 26th in total defense.
The Bears put up just nine points.
For the second game in a row, the Bears' offense had no identity. One facet of the offensive scheme did not benefit the other. There was no answer when the Cardinals had the upper hand with different pressures.
Furthermore, tight end Cole Kmet did not have a target against the Cardinals. It's unfathomable why one of the best offensive weapons could not get a target.
Beyond that, when the Cardinals dialed up the pressure Waldron had no answer.
Grade: F
Tyrique Stevenson
After a tense week at the office, the question would be how Stevenson responded.
After getting benched for the first two drives of the game, Stevenson came into the game. When he did, he played well.
The second-year man out of Miami forced a good pass break up on Marvin Harrison Jr. that would have been a first down and a long gain.
He had every reason to mail in a performance, but Stevenson played well.
Grade: B+