They made it look effortless

The last time the Bears failed to score touchdowns in consecutive games was 2004, 20 years ago.

This was the foul of a man named Terry Shea. The Bears didn’t fire Shea until after the season ended.

With the season nearly over, Shea was asked at a press conference at Halas Hall to rate his team. He gave his offense a “B.”

Talk about forgetful.

Fast forward to today and the Bears offense has gone consecutive games without a TD and has five field goals to show for those ames. The optimist would point out that at least they were not left out.

They have 27 points through three games, while they had 15 from the bye against Washington. See how dangerous they really can be if given time to prepare.

What grade would this Bears offense receive so far this season?

This grade is not given by the offensive coordinator. Self-assessment is not allowed.

Since we’re using grades and school metaphors, quarterback Caleb Williams said at the end of the game that he learned valuable lessons from the debacle.

If nine sacks and 120 yards passing is what learning, let’s call it graduation day.

Here are numbers that matter and you can imagine what they look like.

Pass: F

Passing fails. A modern NFL team cannot have 69 net yards passing, 120 total passing yards and 51 yards in sacks and expect to stay within 21 points. Williams was wide with many passes. There were drops and passes that inexplicably sailed through the hands without being touched. Pass blocking was a rumor and Williams couldn’t properly set up to throw toward the end of the third quarter. The fact that they trailed by just two touchdowns and two two-point conversions at the end is a testament to how inept the Patriots are. On any given week, fans have been angry and talking about how the passing game didn’t get the ball to Cole Kmet enough, or Keenan Allen enough, or DJ Moore enough, or Rome Odunze enough. Sunday’s game fixed all that, because it’s hard to complain about one specific guy not getting involved enough when no one does.

Running: D-

There have been plenty of times in the past where the Bears’ 73-yard rushing day with an average of 3.7 per carry constituted a bust. Compared to the Bears’ passing game, the running attack was Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris. Of course, the running attack can’t compare to their own passing attack. Instead, there are other standards for running games. D’Andre Swift had no runs longer than 9 yards against a porous run defense. Caleb Williams’ 10-yard scramble sparked their best run. Roschon Johnson got to touch the ball once in the running attack and it was a move we’d all be better off not even thinking about – a tie game with four Patriots waiting, while a few more waited in line just in case there were leftovers.

Pass defense: C

Their one shining moment came when TJ Edwards intercepted Drake Maye early. New England’s 35.7 conversion rate on third down was close to the season average for the Bears defense. What they didn’t really have after the first quarter was a pass rush that harassed Maye into mistakes and an acceptable ability to cover Austin Hooper or slot receiver Demario Douglas. The 184 yards passing and 79.4 passer rating allowed would be plenty for most defenses, but the Bears defense must consider carrying the offense’s own weight. They have no room for mistakes.

Run defense: D

The 144 yards rushing allowed allowed the Patriots to shorten the game and for that we can all be thankful. New England seemed set up for its own failure by not running straight up the middle with Rhamondre Stevenson, plowing five or six yards each time. The Bears stopped him a few times for three yards, then the Patriots would abandon the run. Zacch Pickens and Gervon Dexter in Year 2 won’t make anyone forget Justin Jones and Andrew Billings as the defensive tackle duo last year.

Special teams: B-

Not much to report here other than a nice punt return, the best of the year for the Bears. A 38-yarder on the sidelines as DeAndre Carter finally showed what he could offer when given the chance. Carter even had a 35-yard kick return, their best since the season opener when he had a 67-yarder. New England punter Bryce Baringer was the real star of the game for the special teams with a 75-yard punt to the end zone and a net average of 57 yards.

Coaching: F-

The rare F- is reserved for atrocities. Shane Waldron’s foul is one.

Monday morning, during his early morning-after radio spot, Matt Eberflus was asked on ESPN AM-1000 if they would address the offensive coordinator issue in the future. “We are in the middle of that process now,” Eberflus said. It should be a simple process. Nearly the entire team looks like they left their hearts in the end zone where Noah Brown caught the Hail Mary pass. They let one game ruin their season, and the coaching staff deserves the blame for not taking their focus off that one game.

General: F

That’s “F” as in flat. Or a fiasco. Or flop. Or fail. There are many matching words that start with an F. Enter your favorite here.

Twitter: BearsOnSI