CHICAGO— The Bears left Soldier Field on Sunday feeling down about the 2022 season but hopeful for the future.
Yes, the Miami Dolphins beat the Bears 35-32 to drop Chicago to 3-6 in head coach Matt Eberflus’ first season.
But Justin Fields put together his third consecutive good performance, throwing for 123 yards and three scores while rushing for an NFL quarterback single-game record 178 yards.
He was brilliant.
It was another loss that felt like a big-picture win, and the report card reflects a team growing on one side of the ball but failing on the other.
Passing offense
It’s hard to knock anything Fields did against the Dolphins.
NFL
While he had a record-setting day on the ground, he also had a sharp day through the air.
Fields went 17-for-28 for 123 yards and three touchdowns. He was accurate and decisive, showing the natural accuracy, arm talent, and high IQ that had teams salivating to draft him.
After the game, Fields said he is always looking for more yards through the air but feels like he and the passing game are in a good spot after three straight good performances.
Fields had one bad throw, but no one is perfect.
Grade: A-
Rushing offense
David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert couldn’t get much going on the ground Sunday. The Dolphins did a good job locking up the Bears’ two-headed monster.
Montgomery rushed for 36 yards on 14 carries. Herbert picked up 23 on seven.
That’s not good.
But Fields was otherworldly.
The second-year signal-caller set an NFL single-game regular-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 178.
Fields studies defenders’ lateral movement ability during the week and felt good about rushing the ball against the Dolphins.
Darnell Mooney summed Fields’ performance up the best — “dominant.”
Grade: A
Passing defense
Facing Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle was always going to be a tough test for the Bears’ defense.
Through three quarters, they had no answers for Miami’s passing game.
The Bears couldn’t get pressure with four, and the speed of Hill and Waddle was too much for them to contain.
Hill caught seven passes for 143 yards and a score on the day, while Waddle added 85 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
Not a good day for the Bears’ pass defense.
Grade: D-
Run defense
The absence of Roquan Smith didn’t hurt the Bears too much in the run game.
The Dolphins rushed for 77 yards on 18 carries, good for 4.2 yards per carry.
Miami had just enough success on the ground to make the Bears respect the ground game, but the aerial attack is where the Dolphins thrive.
Grade: C+
Special teams
Giving up a blocked punt that’s returned for a touchdown is grounds for an automatic failure.
Grade: F