Bears GM Ryan Pace: ‘No doubt’ Mitch Trubisky can be helpful

General manager Ryan Pace said he had “100% trust and confidence” in coach Matt Nagy when he decided to pull Mitch Trubisky during the Bears’ game in Atlanta.

“Those decisions are sensitive and delicate, especially when you’re talking about the quarterback position,” Pace told the team’s official pregame show on WBBM-AM. “But Matt’s got a great feel for what the team needs, and, obviously, we won the game. I felt like he knew it would light a spark.”

Pace talked to Trubisky this week.

“He’s such a competitor,” Pace said. “Obviously, he’s disappointed. He wants to be the starter, and, really, we expect that from any player on our team, to have that kind of mindset. He’s still very much a leader of this team, and he will be all season. He came in this week ready to roll, working hard, helping to prepare us for the Colts. He’s been stepping up and supporting [Nick] Foles just like Foles did for him when he was backing up.

“As I look at it, both those guys are great people, and they support each other, and it’s authentic, and I think it starts there. And the relationship in that quarterbacks room is really, really important.”

Pace said he had no doubt Trubisky will be a helpful backup.

“That’s the person he is, no question,” he said.

Not special

The Bears’ special teams were particularly abysmal Sunday. On the first punt of the game, Pat O’Donnell’s kick was partially blocked by linebacker Jordan Glasgow. It rolled to a stop 18 yards later and led to a Colts touchdown.

The Bears had four penalties for 32 yards on special-teams plays alone: Barkevious Mingo’s illegal block on a kick return, Kindle Vildor’s hold on a punt return, Buster Skrine’s hold on a punt return and, most notably, Cordarrelle Patterson’s unsportsmanlike-conduct flag for taking his helmet off to scream at an official after covering a punt. The play before, Patterson had dropped a deep ball from Foles.

This and that

The Bears’ only takeaway lasted the length of a TV timeout. Down four in the second quarter, inside linebacker Roquan Smith caught a ball in the end zone that had been tipped into the air by safety Tashaun Gipson. But the replay showed that Smith had stepped out of the end zone just before he caught the ball.

“My foot was out of bounds, so it wasn’t good enough, just covering the back,” Smith said. “It was a tipped ball. Good play by the DB. Next time I just have to come down with that.”

† Playing his first game of the season, tight end Trey Burton — whom the Bears cut in April — had two catches for 16 yards and caught Cairo Santos’ onside kick in the fourth quarter.

† Safety Deon Bush left the game in the fourth quarter after injuring his hamstring covering a punt.