RISING 1. Entire defense: There is a noticeable improvement on defense. From top to bottom, the whole group needs credit for keeping the Bears in the game against the San Francisco 49ers, despite suffering a ton of injuries to key starters. Defensive end Willie Young is a gem. He filled out the stat sheet for the second consecutive week with four tackles, two sacks, two tackles-for-loss and two quarterback hits, according to the NFL's official game book. Jared Allen made a couple of impact plays with a tackle-for-loss and forced fumble. Lance Briggs had a bounce-back game. Rookie Kyle Fuller intercepted two fourth-quarter passes in place of injured Charles Tillman (triceps), and safety Chris Conte had a highlight-reel pick before he left early due to a bad shoulder. Safety Ryan Mundy, linebacker Shea McClellin and the first-year interior defensive linemen (Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson) all contributed to the victory. If the Bears can get efforts like this from the defense every week, the team will be in position to win lots of games.
2. Jay Cutler, QB: Cutler and the offense got off to a bad start, but the quarterback recovered to finish 23-of-34 for 176 passing yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions, with a passer rating of 119.2. Cutler beat a good team on the road. That deserves a mention. He stayed in the game after taking an illegal hit to the chest late in the first half. That shot must have triggered something inside Cutler because he played at a different level from that moment on. Cutler no doubt benefitted from the sturdy play of the offensive line (minus starters Roberto Garza and Matt Slauson), but it's hard to throw four touchdowns when the team is struggling to establish the ground game. However, Cutler pulled it off. Even some of the dropped balls were delivered on the money. 3. Brandon Marshall, WR: Not a bad performance for a guy with a bum ankle. Marshall played like a man possessed in Week 2, catching three touchdowns, including a miraculous one-handed grab at the end of the first half that proved to be a turning point for the Bears. Marshall vowed all week he planned to play against the 49ers, and he backed it up with a performance that will have Bears' fans buzzing all week. Credit wide receiver Alshon Jeffery for fighting through a tight hamstring to contribute three receptions for 47 yards. The Bears were never going to defeat San Francisco with their two Pro Bowl receivers on the sidelines. Both were active, and the Bears pulled out the 28-20 upset. Coincidence? Hardly. Great players who push themselves often inspire their teammates. The extra day should help Marshall and Jeffery get ready to face the New York Jets on Monday. FALLING 1. Special teams: Unfair to criticize one person for the mess on special teams, this is a collective issue. But no matter where the fault ultimately lies, the Bears need to clean up the special teams mistakes because it's borderline unwatchable. The Bears committed a ton of penalties (three on one specific play) and had the opening punt blocked. These breakdowns are unacceptable. Rookie punter Pat O'Donnell struck the ball with authority against the 49ers, despite his 32.3 net average. After O'Donnell, there wasn't much to like. And the Bears still cannot figure out the return game. Senorise Perry looks to be very average on kickoff return after two weeks.
2. Run game: It was an off-night for the run game. The team basically went away from the ground attack after the 49ers jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but yards were hard to come by whenever the Bears put the ball in Matt Forte's hands. Forte carried the ball 12 times for 21 yards (1.8 yards per rush average). Cutler actually had the best run of the night when he scrambled for 25 yards. It's hard to establish much of a rhythm when the starting tailback is fed the ball only 12 times, but the offense failed to capitalize when the opportunities presented themselves on the ground, no matter how few and far between they were. 3. Officials: Twenty-seven combined penalties? Kind of excessive, no? Not to mention the crew took forever to make certain calls and explain the rulings. The game dragged. It was really tough to watch in the first half, for both sides. I'm a firm believer in the fact that officials do not determine the outcome of games. Calls will be missed. That's life. Deal with it. But officials can impact the enjoyment level of watching games. Thumbs down to the officials. Second week in the row the crew assigned to the Bears didn't appear to have their act together. These penalty fests are hurting the league.
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