Rhythm, no blues as Mitch Trubisky and Bears’ offense find stride against struggling Washington

After seeing how poorly the offense had done in the first two games, it didn’t matter how weak the opponent was Monday. What mattered was, hey, look, three touchdown passes by Trubisky!

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Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky tries to get away from Washington defensive end Matthew Ioannidis during the second half Monday night.

Julio Cortez/AP

The Bears’ offense had been sick the first two games of the season, feverish one moment and shivering under its covers the next. Frustration in Chicago about Mitch Trubisky’s performances was at levels usually reserved for a lack of prompt snow removal by the city.

So at halftime Monday night, as Bears players were making their way to the locker room in suburban Washington, they should have been able to feel the relief of their fans 700 miles away. A 21-point second quarter can have that effect, especially when the first two weeks from your team hadn’t featured what NFL experts call a ‘‘touchdown pass.’’

The question is whether the Bears’ offense can build on the 31-15 victory.

Did Trubisky finally find his inner quarterback? Or was this a replay of his six-touchdown game last season against the single-ply defense the Buccaneers fielded that day? Washington’s defense won’t be confused with a good NFL defense.

After seeing what the Bears had done offensively in the first two games, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is, hey, look, three touchdowns by the offense!

‘‘It felt like, ‘OK, finally, here we go,’ ’’ coach Matt Nagy said of Trubisky’s big first half. ‘‘It’s all about confidence.’’

The Bears had a game plan that clearly was meant to boost Trubisky’s quarterbacking self-esteem. They don’t have to apologize for that. They were able to do it against a weak defense, and they needed to do it. Trubisky’s performances the first two weeks had been poor. The big idea was to simplify the offense. It was for Trubisky to get rid of the ball quickly, mostly on short passes. He would be on the move more. He would think less, react more and, the thinking went, make fewer mistakes. And huddles often were a no-no.

‘‘We definitely felt like we established a rhythm,’’ Trubisky said. ‘‘I just felt like the tempo helped us out a little bit.’’’

It’s a path to follow in the weeks ahead, though with the schedule filled with teams not named Washington, it will need to involve responsible stewardship from Trubisky. But it’s not a bad philosophy: Let the Bears’ defense terrorize opponents and, whatever you do, don’t let the Bears’ offense screw things up.

There were enough flashes that, if you’re the kind of person who feels incomplete without a good offense, you have something to feel warm about. The best moment came just before halftime, when an on-the-move Trubisky hit Taylor Gabriel with a beautiful 36-yard touchdown pass, with Gabriel doing an incredible job of getting his feet down for the score. It was Gabriel’s third touchdown catch of the half.

Trubisky was 21-for-24 for 173 yards and those three touchdowns in the first half.

After halftime, with Nagy intent on playing it safe with the lead and his quarterback’s psyche, Trubisky went 4-for-7 for 58 yards and a bad interception. He underthrew receiver Allen Robinson in the end zone in the third quarter, and Washington’s Josh Norman was there to pick it off. The thought bubble above most of Chicago was, ‘‘Don’t blow a good story, Mitch.’’ No worries. Nagy went to rookie running back David Montgomery again and again.

The Bears’ defense was so good in the first half that, if you were a caring human being, you worried about the safety of Washington quarterback Case Keenum. He had Khalil Mack & Co. breathing down his neck all night.

The defense finished with three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and four sacks. There are laws against that sort of behavior in some states.

What hadn’t happened in the first two games finally happened in the second quarter: A Bears receiver found himself in the end zone with the football in his hand. That was Gabriel, who had just caught a short, soft toss from Trubisky, who, just to be clear here, hadn’t been on a first-name basis with the end zone.

That touchdown gave the Bears a 14-0 lead, the first score coming on what had, to that point, looked like their best offense: their defense. Cornerback Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had picked off Keenum and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

A strip-sack by Mack and the ensuing recovery by Akiem Hicks set up the Bears’ third touchdown, another short Trubisky-to-Gabriel connection.

With the game plan set up the way it was and with the Washington defense so talent-challenged, it felt borderline impossible for Trubisky to lose this game. He did throw that ugly interception, and there were moments he struggled with his accuracy.

But this was one of those games designed to give his development a shove. The important part isn’t what he did in the game itself; it’s what he does with it afterward.

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