LAS VEGAS — The Bears got an “ugly win” Sunday.

That’s how D’Andre Swift characterized it. The veteran running back was right.

The Bears struggled moving the ball on offense. They couldn’t stop the run at all. They still found a way to win.

They emerged from a four-quarter street fight with a 25-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

“You said it wasn’t pretty. It was ugly. Very ugly. It was an ugly win,” Swift said. “But the way that we fought and found a win was so important for us.”

The Bears frequently lose games, especially of late. So, securing a win was huge, even when things weren’t perfect. That’s why you’ll see some subpar marks in this Week 4 Bears report card, but the highest possible grade for special teams.

Rushing offense

Swift just can’t get in rhythm with his blocking, which leads to inefficient runs. Sunday marked the second consecutive game that he averaged less that 3 yards per carry. Kyle Monangai was a bit better at 4.5 yards per carry over a small sample size, and it might be time to give him some more carries. Swift simply must get cranked up for this offense to function well.

The Bears had two young offensive tackles against a formidable Raiders defensive front, but that’s no excuse for the continued struggles running the football.

Grade: C-minus

Passing offense

Caleb Williams wasn’t as polished as he has been in the past, but the young quarterback found a way to make plays when it mattered most. His touchdown pass to Rome Odunze was a laser beam that perfectly hit the receiver in stride. And on that go-ahead TD drive that ended with Swift’s score, Williams was 4-of-5 passing for 42 yards, and he had two rushes for 18 more.

Williams showed up big despite lackluster protection and never made critical errors — his interception was a great play by Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby — that proved detrimental. Williams’ stat line (22-of-37 passing for 212 yards, one TD, one INT) won’t wow you, but his moxie will.

Grade: B-plus

Rushing defense

In a word: Yikes.

The Bears gave up 240 rushing yards. And still won. That doesn’t happen often. Ashton Jeanty is a special player, but the Raiders’ offensive line had mightily struggled entering Sunday. The Bears were without defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and linebacker T.J. Edwards, but that’s no excuse for such a poor performance.

Andrew Billings forced a fumble, and Kevin Byard III came up with a huge third-down stop to set up Josh Blackwell’s field-goal block, but the run defense was terrible overall.

Coordinator Dennis Allen must figure out how to stop the run during the bye week. If not, the Bears will lose a lot more games than they win.

Grade: F

Passing defense

The Bears had a tough time creating pressure on Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, but three interceptions is a lot. Byard had two, and Tyrique Stevenson added another. Byard said after the game that he baited Smith into both picks, disguising his intentions before jumping a route.

Smith was hit only once all game, and it was on a Jaquan Brisker blitz. The pass rush up front must be better overall, but the takeaways win out and put the Bears’ pass defense in a positive light.

Grade: B-plus

Special teams

Easiest grade on the report card. Blackwell blocked a decisive field-goal try that won the game. Oh, and long snapper Scott Daly gave Blackwell a tip to help his get-off.

Cairo Santos was 4-for-4 on field-goal tries, including two from 50-plus yards away. The Bears don’t win without that effort. And Tory Taylor dropped a punt at the 2-yard line that flipped the field and got another three points.

Coordinator Richard Hightower has lots of gold stars to give out after this one.

Grade: A-plus

Coaching

Head coach Ben Johnson told his team at halftime that the first two quarters weren’t the Bears’ brand of football. He demanded better and believed better was on its way. That was a confidence builder. So was him telling Williams that he was “born for this.”

Johnson receives a minus for the failed Stumblebum play. Pluses for just about everything else. Allen has to figure out the run defense, but he dialed up smart plays on third down and his unit had four takeaways for the second consecutive game.

Grade: A-minus

Submit your questions below for inclusion in this week’s Bears mailbag!! 👇