Chicago Bears: Grading the team’s first half performance

The Chicago Bears reached the midway point of the season. They’ve had their ups and downs in the first half. We grade their first-half performance.

The Chicago Bears reached the midway point of the 2017 season. Certainly, there’s been some ups and downs this season. They have a losing record (3-5), but there have been some pleasant surprises. Additionally, they’ve already matched their win total of last season. Any win (and we hope there are some) in the second half is added pleasure.

Of course, owning a losing record also means experiencing some poor performances. Some units haven’t played as well as expected. Hopefully, those units improve in the second half and the win total increases.

We’ve seen some interesting things this season. Double reverses, halfback pass options, and punters throwing touchdown passes. There is a thought that if a team runs trick plays it means it’s desperately trying to gain yards and points. Hopefully, the time comes soon when the Bears wouldn’t need to run those plays.

The biggest news grabber this season has to be Mitch Trubisky taking over as starting quarterback. The Trubisky era wasn’t supposed to begin until next season, but with poor play by Mike Glennon, the Bears could no longer wait.

The Bears have slowly brought the rookie along. Many feel they should give more for him to do. We’ll see how that goes in the second half.

The defense has been a pleasant experience. The unit is playing at a nearly elite level. With the offensive struggles, can the defense continue to carry the team in the second half?

Here are the grades for the Chicago Bears performance in the first half of the season: