Bears
Trubisky and the offense looked good vs. Houston, but can they sustain it?
Indisputable fact No. 1: Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky played well Sunday. With the heaviness of the team’s six-game losing streak intensifying, Trubisky didn’t seem burdened whatsoever. Instead, he seemed clearheaded and self-assured.
He made good decisions. He was efficient. He took care of the football.
He completed 24 of 33 passes for 267 yards and had three first-half touchdown passes.
It’s impossible to dispute. Trubisky played well.
Indisputable fact No. 2: As an offense, the Bears had as much rhythm as they’ve had at any point over the last two seasons. They scored four offensive touchdowns before halftime for the first time since Week 10 of 2018. They averaged 6.9 yards per play, their second-highest mark in the Matt Nagy era. They racked up 410 total yards, their second-highest output this season.
The offense locked in and turned preparation into production. That, too, is impossible to dispute.
For one Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, the Bears offense looked like a real, live 21st-century attack. Well-prepared. Mostly balanced. Collectively confident.
The result was a blowout victory over an inferior and undermanned opponent, a 36-7 throttling of the Houston Texans that felt great to the players and coaches who were part of it but left much of the outside audience conflicted on how to process it.
Where has this been?
Can the momentum be sustained?
What does it really mean?
Understandably, Bears fans and media analysts will require much more concrete evidence before they’re ready to subscribe to the idea that the offense has finally found itself, that a long-awaited breakthrough is occurring, that Trubisky has made a significant leap.
Even after Sunday’s explosion — which came a week after the Bears had 389 total yards and 30 points in a loss to the Detroit Lions — a 13-game sample size tells us the Bears still have a bottom-five offense in the NFL, still well below average in total yardage and points scored and rushing offense and third-down efficiency.
Thus it would be Pollyannaish to bite a baited hook and be reeled into the boat with those who envision a spectacular storybook finish to a dizzying 2020 season.
But internally at Halas Hall, the Bears seem genuinely enthused by their recent advancements, confident the improvements can propel them forward for the rest of this season. And for now, that’s all they can focus on.
With three games left, Trubisky and the offense have three more chapters to author, three more chances to bolster their case that the recent emergence is legitimate. It’s understandable, perhaps even recommended, for outsiders to firmly stand their ground with far more skepticism than faith until there’s a surge of four or five good games in a row.
But this season isn’t over. And the Bears’ playoff chances, while still very slim, aren’t dead. So an entirely close-minded outlook doesn’t seem prudent either.
Here’s our comprehensive Week 14 QB review.
But look closer at that play — a concept similar to the 14-yard scoring grab Miller had last season against the Dallas Cowboys. Notice Texans defensive end J.J. Watt coming off the ball with his trademark burst and knifing into the lane between Trubisky and Mooney.
The pressure and potential disruption was fairly significant. Yet Trubisky reacted, calibrated the proper loft and touch on his pass and made sure the ball made it to Mooney in the backfield.
Passing game coordinator Dave Ragone thought that was one of Trubisky’s most underrated throws of the afternoon.
“Your Point A to B wasn’t right there; it wasn’t direct,” Ragone said. “You had to go over somebody. And I thought Mitchell, in a split second, made the decision and made a great throw. Again, some of those things go unnoticed because the ball wasn’t pushed down the field 20 yards or something like that. But to me, that’s tremendous growth in being a passer.”
That touchdown completed a five-play, 66-yard drive. It came on the possession immediately after the Bears defense had sacked Deshaun Watson for a safety. The drive featured a 13-yard run by David Montgomery and Trubisky completions to four receivers. The Bears didn’t face a third down on the possession. They got to second down only once. And even that was a favorable second-and-4 after an efficient completion to Miller.
After failing to capitalize on an earlier takeaway inside Texans territory, this time the Bears offense marched right down the field and padded the lead to 23-7. The momentum became a snowball. The execution to pounce on that opportunity was a big deal.
It’s the sixth starting combination the Bears have used on the line this season, and it clearly has been the best fit with the most chemistry and has sparked the most production. In the three weeks since returning from their off week, the Bears have averaged 383 yards and 30.3 points.
David Montgomery’s 80-yard touchdown run on the first offensive play from scrimmage was the Bears’ longest play this season. It eclipsed Montgomery’s 57-yard run just 14 days earlier against the Packers.
The Bears have had 79 first downs over the last three games. The run blocking up front has given Montgomery room to do what he does best. And the pass protection has been reliable overall as well.
Offensive line coach Juan Castillo couldn’t put a finger on why the Leno-Whitehair-Mustipher-Bars-Ifedi combination has clicked. But Castillo continues to laud that group’s collective work ethic.
“It’s a mentality, you know?” Castillo said. “When the group wants to work and is willing to do extra, that’s special.”
Out of a four-tight-end set with David Montgomery in the backfield, Cole Kmet motioned out to the right and J.P. Holtz out to the left, leaving Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris as the inline blockers flanking the offensive line.
Mitch Trubisky started under center but then began to back up into shotgun while attempting to use his cadence to hoodwink the Texans. At the same time, Graham began to motion from the left of the formation to the right. With Trubisky’s hard “Set!” call, Texans defensive lineman Ross Blacklock jumped. The officials, however, called Graham for a false start.
Let’s hit the pause button. We’re almost 200 words into this description of a play from inside the 1 that should have just read, “David Montgomery scored easily,” or, “Mitch Trubisky plunged forward for a QB sneak touchdown.”
The Bears were fortunate to overcome that odd penalty on the next snap with Trubisky throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Graham. But it remained notable that from inside the 1, the Bears felt compelled to use a play that required so many presnap bells and whistles rather than just lining up and finding some old-school, rugged way to gain a foot and a half.
The Bears’ best offensive performance of the season wasn’t without red flags. That sequence probably qualifies. So, too, did a pair of second-half three-and-outs in which the Bears passed twice on each series with a commanding lead. The quick punts ate up just 1 minute, 2 seconds and 43 seconds and renewed questions about the offense’s commitment to the running game.
The Bears led for the final 55:04. They held a double-digit advantage for 37:42. Still, Montgomery wound up with only 11 rushes and had just five carries for 7 yards in the second half.
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