Bears Grades: Shorthanded receiving group provides minimal impact

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Operating without both Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal for the second time this season was a major handicap for the offense in general and Jay Cutler in particular, with the Bears starting three tight ends (Martellus Bennett, Khari Lee, Zach Miller) for the third time in 10 games.

“Yeah, we’re missing some guys but that’s nothing new,” Cutler said.  “We’ve had guys in and out of the lineup all year long. I thought ‘JB’ [Joshua Bellamy] and ‘Q’ [Marquess Wilson] stepped in there and had a heck of day for us. We tried to use the tight ends a little bit more.”

Some of the Bears’ pedestrian run production (25 carries, 86 yards) traces to less than dominating blocking on the edges by the receiver group, losing too many one-on-one’s with a good Denver Broncos defense.

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Zach Miller gave the Bears 21 yards on a first-quarter catch, representing nearly half of the Bears’ entire output (44) in the quarter. But production from the tight ends was limited, with Miller and Martellus Bennett accounting for just five catches out of the 12 balls targeted for them.

Wilson’s catch-and-run for 29 yards was his longest play in a month of catching just one ball in each of the Minnesota, San Diego and St. Louis games. He added one for 40 yards in the fourth quarter to position the offense for a potential tying score.

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But Wilson, who led the Bears with 102 yards on his four catches, was late turning for the ball on a crossing pattern in the end zone. And none of the receivers worked loose on a broken play in the fourth quarter to give a scrambling Cutler help in a crucial situation.

Bellamy, with four catches and 57 yards, gets credit for breaking free for a 38-yard catch in the second quarter, but inexplicably failed to keep his feet and stumbled down with open space in front of him. The Bears had to settle for a field goal.

Ideally the Bears were erring on the side of caution with Jeffery and Royal, hoping for their availability Thursday in Green Bay.

“When we get them back,” Cutler said, “it’ll be great.”

Moon's Grade: D+

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