The good: The Bears snapped a four-game skid with a 20-13 victory over the Lions.
The bad: They almost blew the lead late in the fourth quarter after going ahead by two scores.
The ugly: It came against a backup QB and one of the league’s weakest defenses.
Let’s get to it ...
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Offense: A tale of sorry ... not sorry
QB Mitch Trubisky was booed regularly through most of the first half. Once again, the Bears went three-and-out on their opening drive and the offense sputtered early.
Things improved with the Bears’ final drive of the first half and Trubisky eventually earned a 131.0 passer rating. Improvement? Yes. A reason to think Trubisky and the Bears’ offense has turned a corner? Not so fast. Our Rick Morrissey explains.
By the numbers:
- 145 PASSING YARDS: Mitch Trubisky completed 16 of 23 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns, but he also got sacked five times. Allen Robinson had six catches for 86 yards off nine targets.
- 81 RUSHING YARDS: David Montgomery came on late to put the game away, finishing with 17 carries for 60 yards. He had just 12 yards in six first-half carries.
Offensive play of the game:
First career TD catch for Ben Braunecker is a pretty one.#DETvsCHI | #Bears100 pic.twitter.com/3AwLvdI8E2
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 10, 2019
Defense: Still a work in progress
Presenting your Bears 2019 sack leader: DT Nick Williams, who was out of football in 2017. His sack Sunday brought his season total to a team-high six. The defense allowed 72 yards on backup QB Jeff Driskel’s first drive but forced the Lions to settle for a 22-yard Matt Prater field goal. You get the feeling the overall damage against the Bears would have been much worse had starting QB Matthew Stafford not been in street clothes because of broken bones in his back. Meanwhile, Kyle Fuller had an outburst that shocked his teammates.
By the numbers:
- 357 TOTAL YARDS ALLOWED: Jeff Driskel, in place of injured Matthew Stafford, racked up 269 passing yards and 37 rushing yards in the loss.
- 2 SACKS: Nick Kwiatkoski, Nick Williams
- 1 TAKEAWAYS: Kwiatkoski picked off one of Driskel’s passes as part of a big game after the departure of Danny Trevathan.
Special Teams: Pineiro misses first XP
On an otherwise quiet day for the unit, Eddy Pineiro missed on his first extra point of the season. He had been 14-for-14 on them entering Sunday. Thankfully, that missed kick didn’t come into play on the last-minute drive as the Bears’ defense held firm.
By the numbers:
- Pineiro: 2-for-3 on extra points.
What They’re Saying
- QB Mitch Trubisky: “It wasn’t pretty. It was a tough, hard-fought battle, but it felt good to just stick together and kind of get through this and find a way to win.”
- TE Ben Braunecker: ‘“I had been imagining and dreaming of what the first touchdown would be like for quite some time now. I’ve had to wait 3 ½ years to do it, but I’m glad it finally happened. It was amazing.”
From Our Notebooks
- When the Bears asked Cody Whitehair to switch back to center this week, he hadn’t snapped since the Pro Bowl in January. He looked like it Sunday — rolling a snap to Mitch Trubisky and missing his target, both wide and high, a few more times. “It went OK for me, but I wish I could have a couple [plays] back,” Whitehair said. “It’ll get better as we go.”
- For the first time in his NFL career, TE Adam Shaheen — a 2017 second-round pick whom the Bears took two spots ahead of Joe Mixon, 17 spots ahead of JuJu Smith-Schuster and 22 spots ahead of Alvin Kamara — was a healthy scratch. Coach Matt Nagy said the verdict to sit the scuffling Shaheen was a “team decision.”
- LB Danny Trevathan left the game in the first quarter after suffering a left elbow injury. He was originally ruled as questionable, but the team ruled him out at halftime. Replays showed Trevathan’s left elbow bend backward while tackling Driskel, Finley reports.
Here are even more game highlights.
What’s Next?
The Bears hit national television next weekend for a “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the Rams in Los Angeles. NBC could’ve flexed out of the game but opted to stick with the NFC showdown. Last year, the Bears topped the Rams 15-6 at Soldier Field.
View From Detroit
- The end of QB Matthew Stafford’s ironman streak remains a hot topic in Detroit. Some at the Detroit Free Press are scratching their heads over the inconsistent explanations the Lions are giving for Stafford’s surprising absence Sunday.
- How did the Lions fare against the Bears? Here’s a look at the report card from the Detroit News.
On the Podcast
Patrick Finley, Jason Lieser and Mark Potash discuss the Bears’ victory over the Lions — and if it means anything long-term. They debate Mitch Trubisky’s play and Nick Kwiatkoski’s future with the Bears. And in the Pot-Cast, Mark talks about how he somehow wound up with a $700 toll-booth bill.
Also, got any questions for the Bears? Email us or tweet at @suntimes_sports and we’ll see if we can get them answered in one of our next newsletters.
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