First-and-10: Frisky Trubisky doesn’t need to be so risky

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Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) is tackled by Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen (97) in the Bears’ 25-20 victory Sunday night at Soldier Field. | David Banks/AP photo

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s aggressiveness is a big reason he has made significant progress in his second season. He leads the NFL in rushing yards by a quarterback in part because he rarely will give himself up. He’s almost always looking for more yardage — to a daring degree.

So it’s a little ironic that after avoiding a crushing hit in the open field through 10 games, Trubisky was injured when he gave himself up. On a five-yard gain on a designed first-down run in the fourth quarter Sunday, Trubisky slid on his knees with his body leaning forward as Vikings defenders closed in. Safety Harrison Smith hit Trubisky’s left shoulder after he went down and was penalized for a late hit.

Could a feet-first, baseball slide have avoided the situation?

‘‘No,’’ Bears coach Matt Nagy said. ‘‘There’s times where, depending on the [first-down] sticks . . . where you’ll sacrifice yourself a little bit. That one, I’m not sure.’’

Nagy didn’t blame Smith — ‘‘It wasn’t intentional,’’ he said — and he didn’t think Trubisky needed to play it safer.

‘‘That’s definitely a part of football; that’s where we’re at,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘I think you see it in every game with quarterbacks that can run. That’s a part of the risk-reward. You’ve got to make sure they understand how to not put their body in harm. To me, what happened [against the Vikings] when he got hit, there’s nothing he could’ve done different. He’s playing the game of football and got a late hit.’’

Trubisky used a traditional baseball slide on a first-down run in the third quarter, but he more often takes chances or slides awkwardly, inviting contact — either on time or late. But it’s not because he can’t execute the baseball slide.

‘‘He’s good at it,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘I’ve been around some bad sliders, including Michael Vick — and he’d laugh at it. He couldn’t slide to save his life. We used to go out and put up the Slip ’n Slide after practice to try to teach him, and he couldn’t do it.

‘‘Mitch knows how to do it. He knows how to slide. Sometimes you’ll see him slide certain ways because of angles of where you’re at on the field and when you’re trying to get down or not get down. It comes with the territory.’’

2. Sign of progress: The Bears were 6-for-12 on third-down conversions against a Vikings defense that leads the NFL in third-down defense (25.7 percent). The Vikings, in fact, are in the top 10 virtually across the board on defense — improving from 21st to fifth in total yards, 27th to sixth in yards per play and 22nd to seventh in points allowed in the last seven weeks. Even Drew Brees threw for only 120 yards against the Vikings in Week 8. Trubisky threw for 165 yards Sunday.

3. The Bears are third in the NFL in total defense (314.4 yards per game), and that includes a lot of yardage allowed in blowouts and in desperation time. During the Bears’ four-game winning streak, the defense has allowed 1,044 yards (261 per game) — but 638 of them came after the Bears built commanding leads against the Jets (24-10), Bills (28-0), Lions (26-0) and Vikings (22-6).

When those games were close, the Bears allowed 406 yards on 128 plays (3.2-yard average). When those teams were scrambling to get back into the game, the Bears allowed 638 yards on 141 plays (4.5-yard average).

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4. Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks was looking forward to this.

‘‘I think the biggest difference for us is having an offense that’s going to score in the first half,’’ Hicks said before the start of the regular season.

In fact, the Bears have scored 160 points in the first half this season, including 61 in the first quarter. Both numbers exceed their 2017 16-game totals (48 points in the first quarter and 130 in the first half).

The Bears have held the lead for 408:25 out of 610 minutes this season (67.0 percent). That exceeds their total of last season, when they led for 360 out of 1,057 minutes (34.1 percent).

5. Safety Eddie Jackson’s pick-six — the decisive blow in the victory against the Vikings — kept alive the Bears’ streak of games without losing the turnover battle. By breaking even (3-3) against the Vikings, the Bears have had an even or positive turnover margin in all 10 games. They’re the only team in the NFL to do that this season.

The Bears’ 10-game streak of games without a negative turnover margin is their longest since 1985, when they had a run of 11 in a row in Weeks 2-12. That team, for what it’s worth, won the Super Bowl.

6. The game Thursday against the Lions will mark the first time Nagy is facing an opponent for the second time in a season as a head coach. When he was with Andy Reid in Kansas City, the Chiefs were 9-0 against division opponents they previously had beaten that season and 12-3 in all division rematches — including a loss to the Chargers in 2013 with Chase Daniel playing in place of Alex Smith and the Chiefs coasting into the playoffs.

During the same span, the Bears were 0-5 against division opponents they had beaten previously in the season and 1-14 in division rematches overall.

7. The Bears’ defense has allowed 181 points this season (18.1 per game) but also has scored 36 points for a net of 145 points (14.5 per game), the best in the NFL.

8. The Bears are 3-for-3 on two-point conversions this season after converting twice against the Vikings. The NFL average is 48.9 percent (44-for-90). The Rams (5-for-7), Colts (4-for-5) and Browns (4-for-9) have the most two-point conversions.

9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week Award: Saints offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, overcoming a personal tragedy when his week-old daughter died last month, started in place of injured left tackle Terron Armstead against the Eagles. The Saints gained 509 yards and Brees wasn’t sacked in a 48-7 rout of the defending Super Bowl champions.

10. Bear-ometer: 10-6 — at Lions (L); at Giants (W); vs. Rams (L); vs. Packers (W); at 49ers (W); at Vikings (L).

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