Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky looked sharper in the first half Sunday than he did the week before — but, maddeningly and almost comically, can’t find the end zone.
The Bears led the Chargers 9-7 at halftime, but only after running a whopping 12 plays in goal-to-go situations — and settling for three Eddy Pineiro field goals.
The Bears offense was booed as it ran to the locker room after the most egregious drive.
A horse collar penalty on a third-down pass that would have been short of the sticks gave the Bears first-and-goal at the 4 with 46 seconds left in the first half. The Bears ran for no gain, threw a Cordarelle Patterson screen for one yard and then, on third, down, drew a pass interference flag in the end zone.
That gave them first-and-goal at the 1, but they couldn’t score a touchdown. Trubisky threw an incomplete pass, David Montgomery ran for no gain and then, after un-piling the players took too long, the Bears were forced to spike and stop the clock with a second left.
Pineiro made a 19-yard field goal to take the lead.
Trubisky went 34-for-54 for 251 yards, two touchdowns, two sacks and a 86.3 passer rating in last week’s loss to the Saints. Even those numbers were cosmetic, though — before the Bears’ final two scoring drives, Trubisky was 20-for-35 for only 119 yards. He was sacked twice and had a 63.9 passer rating.
Low bar or not, he’s been better against the Chargers, completing 13-of-20 passes for 131 yards and a 83.5 passer rating. He’s been sacked twice.