Grade: 5
Charles Tillman played his usual physical game, coming up hard and tackling Peterson after a one 1-yard gain in the fourth quarter and forcing a fumble by Peterson.
Hayden did not have a great game in terms of tackling, and he gave up a 10-yard catch to Jenkins on third-and-6 in the fourth quarter that hurt.
Defensive line
Grade: 5.5
There weren't many pass-rush opportunities, but Wootton had some good initial steps and the Bears' only sack of the game. Julius Peppers might have had a sack with a hard inside rush in the second quarter, but he was held by offensive tackle Matt Kalil.
For the most part, the linemen played the run well. There were strong demonstrations of will by Wootton, Peppers, Israel Idonije and Matt Toeaina.
On the third play of the game, Toeaina fought through a double team of John Sullivan and Brandon Fusco, moved laterally and brought down Peterson for a 1-yard gain. Impressive.
Quarterback
Grade: 5
Four of Jay Cutler's passes were too high for their intended targets to catch, including one interception, and another that went in and out of the hands of Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford.
Cutler was not as accurate as usual, but what really did him in were receiver failures. There were four dropped passes in the game, two of which could have been touchdowns.
What Cutler did very well was use his feet. His 11-yard run for a first down was spectacular, as he broke away from defensive tackle Kevin Williams in the backfield and then dragged defensive end Brian Robison 5 yards at the end of the play.
In his only series, Jason Campbell moved the offense efficiently, taking what the Vikings gave him.
Wide receivers
Grade: 4
As magnificent as Brandon Marshall was for most of the game, his fourth-down drop in the fourth quarter was a killer. But his ability to come up with contested catches really stood out.
Alshon Jefferey hurt the Bears as much as he helped them. A savvy route runner would not have been on the ground on that first-quarter play in which Cutler was picked off.
Then in the third quarter he dropped what should have been a 39-yard touchdown pass.
But his second-quarter touchdown catch was very nice. He swam past Josh Robinson to free himself and made an over-the-shoulder catch that a lot of receivers struggle with. In the fourth quarter he pulled in a back-shoulder throw for 30 yards with Robinson all over him.
