GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Bears have come through in the clutch many times this season, but they couldn’t do so Sunday, falling 28-21 to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

It was a difficult result because of the opponent, the stakes and the manner in which they lost. They fell to a hated NFC North rival. They dropped to the NFC’s No. 7 playoff seed after sitting atop the conference. And they lost on a Caleb Williams interception thrown in the end zone with less than a minute left.

In a word: Ouch.

[MORE: Packers 28, Bears 21: Three observations in Chicago’s NFL Week 14 loss]

This one stung, especially with cornerback Jaylon Johnson correctly calling this a “winnable game.” It certainly was, but the Bears let it slip because of poor execution at inopportune times.

That impacted how they graded out overall in this Week 14 Bears report card:

Rushing offense

Running well is a foundational element of this Bears offense. Despite that fact, head coach/offensive play-caller Ben Johnson called the game’s second run on the third Bears drive. There’s greater context to that, as the Bears struggled to stay on schedule and get much of anything going early.

The run game heated up later, finishing with 138 yards on 32 carries. The offensive line moved Packers defenders in the second half, never more so than on a 17-play drive in the second half.

D’Andre Swift averaged 4.8 yards per carry and Kyle Monangai 4.1 despite Green Bay’s clear emphasis on stopping the run.

Grade: B

Passing offense

Caleb Williams and his receivers were out of sync, and pass protection struggled in the early going but improved in the second half. Williams turned it on with some nice throws to Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III. DJ Moore was a complete non-factor in a game when the Bears needed their star to step up with Rome Odunze sidelined by injury.

Williams ended up with two touchdown passes and a 62 percent completion rate in the second half, but his end-game interception was late and underthrown and cost his team dearly. That’s a major no-no and will drive a grade through the floor.

Grade: D-plus

[READ: Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 14 loss to Packers]

Rushing defense

Josh Jacobs is a tough dude to tackle, and he ended up with 86 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. When the Bears had to make a stop in the second half, they let Jacobs run all over them. Three guys couldn’t take him down on third-and-2, when he rumbled for 21 yards and put the Packers in scoring position.

The Packers had eight first downs by run and often converted third downs because the run game kept them on schedule. The Bears’ front didn’t get wrecked, but they weren’t dominant, either.

Grade: B-minus

Passing defense

The Bears don’t often give up explosive plays in the passing game. On Sunday, they gave up three for touchdowns. Christian Watson had a 41-yard catch-and-run score, and later added a 23-yarder. The Bo Melton 45-yard TD strike by far was the worst, occurring with less than a minute left in the first half. That sequence was as damning as the Williams interception — it’s something that just can’t happen.

Packers QB Jordan Love was sacked once and hit another time, both by Montez Sweat. That was it for the Bears’ pass rush, which wasn’t disruptive.

The secondary took responsibility for this one. That’s a team strength, and they should’ve been better on this night.

Grade: C-minus

[WATCH: Scott Bair from Lambeau Field: Why Bears’ comeback fell short]

Special teams

Cairo Santos hit his only field-goal attempt, but a kickoff that didn’t make the landing zone at the end of the first half proved costly. It set up the Packers’ Melton TD, which, as we’ve discussed, was a major turning point in the game.

Tory Taylor dropped a punt inside the 20, but he drove another one too hard and into the end zone.

Grade: C

Coaching

Head coach Ben Johnson’s early game plan didn’t work or, more likely, wasn’t executed well. He made some smart adjustments in the second half, had the run game going and used some creative play designs to spark the offense. He got a challenge right, and while some questioned his late-game decision to let the clock run, I didn’t mind it.

And, while it’s a rarity this season, I believe Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was bested as a play-caller by Packers head coach/offensive mastermind Matt LaFleur.

Grade: C

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