Grading the Chicago Bears in NFC Wild Card Round against the Green Bay Packers

Here’s how we graded the Bears in the NFC Wild Card round against the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears’ offense

There were plenty of chances in this game. The Bears took the ball first and put a field goal on the board.

After that, the Bears sputtered. They moved the ball, but couldn’t get the

When the Bears needed a critical offensive play, it never came until the fourth quarter.

The Bears were 1 for 5 on fourth-down plays. They never had a chance to establish the run. That never brought the play-action pass into effect. The things that made the Bears’ offense great never materialized.

It was a great job by Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He helped his head-coaching candidacy with a game like this.

However, it highlights the offensive miscues that hindered the Bears in the second half of the season. The slow starts kept the Bears in a massive hole.

But, in the end, they chipped away. The Bears had a chance to win or tie in the final two minutes.

It doesn’t absolve the slow start. But, the Bears pulled themselves back up off the canvas. They didn’t hear any bell. They pulled ahead of the Packers.

Grade: B

The Bears’ defense

This was a tale of two halves, to be certain.

But that first half was as bad as it possibly could have been. The Bears could not stop the Green Bay offense. There were three drives and the Packers scored three touchdowns.

This was a game where the Bears’ defense looked like its best players – Jaylon Johnson, Tremaine Edmunds, Kyler Gordon and more – missed time during the season with injuries.

In the second half, they were better. They held the Packers to one first down heading into the fourth quarter. But, they needed to do much more.

When a Packers’ offensive lineman caught a checkdown pass – yes, that happened – the Bears forced him to fumble. Gervon Dexter Sr. had a chance to pounce on it, but the ball squirted up and out of bounds.

That was a chance to make a critical play to get a turnover. It never came.

When the Bears needed to make one last stop, down three with three minutes left. They made it, and the Packers missed the ensuing field goal.

They needed one more stop to win the game.

They got it.

Bears win.

Grade: C-

Caleb Williams

The Bears’ young quarterback looked like a young quarterback on Saturday.

Some throws sailed on him. Some throws made it clear the quarterback was pressing and he had not settled into the moment.

It didn’t help when he kept taking shot after shot, and looked gimpy as an ankle injury bothered him.

But, he still made key plays that kept the Bears alive.

His fourth-down throw to Odunze kept a drive alive. His throw to Colston Loveland for a two-point conversion was stuff you cannot teach.

Then, given the ball with two minutes left in a playoff game and a chance to win, Williams did what he was drafted to do.

He made the throw to give the Bears the lead in the fourth quarter.

Grade: B

Colston Loveland

The Bears’ hot hand was there for the offense.

He was over the middle, available on checkdowns and helped stretch the field.

Loveland was there, catching passes on what felt like the same route all game. Hey, it was working. No need to mess with anything when it moved the ball. His two-point conversion catch was key in keeping the Bears alive.

If anything, it proved that Loveland should be one of the Bears’ first options on the offense in the years to come.

Grade: A

Luther Burden III

It wasn’t a great night for Burden.

The rookie didn’t know where he was supposed to be on a key play in the first half when the Bears were going over the middle of the field. Burden never cut in, and Williams was intercepted.

Burden still helped move the ball, though. He caught passes that stretched the field and

That mistake, however, hurt. It kept points off the board for the Bears in a game where they needed points and points turned out to be hard to come by.

Grade: C