The Chicago Bears (5-6) followed up a disappointing loss with a 19-14 win over the struggling New York Giants (2-9), although it certainly was anything but pretty.
While the Bears were plagued by the same self-inflicted mistakes and missed opportunities that cost them last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, this time they were struggling against a stumbling Giants team that had issues of their own.
The Bears defense has held opponents to 17 points or less in four of the last five games, and this time their offense was able to take advantage despite the sheer amount of missed opportunities left out on the field. But a win is a win, even if it’s an ugly one against a Giants team going nowhere.
Here are my five takeaways from the Bears’ 19-14 win over the Giants.
1. Mitchell Trubisky shines in hurry-up offense
While Mitchell Trubisky certainly didn’t have a great game, he stacked another solid performance, even if the statistics don’t necessarily indicate it. Trubisky certainly had some ugly moments — including two interceptions — but it was during the Bears’ hurry-up offense where the young quarterback stood apart from his struggles.
Trubisky is at his best when he’s in up-tempo situations where he doesn’t have to think and just plays football, and he certainly shined in those moments where the Bears ran their no-huddle offense.
While Trubisky’s statline isn’t anything to marvel at — 25-of-41 for 278 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, as well as one rushing touchdown — it was definitely another step in a positive direction for Trubisky in a struggling offense.
2. The Bears have a serious tight end issue
While the entire Bears offense has struggled this season, the one position group that’s been arguably the most frustrating, aside from quarterback, has been tight end. As we’ve seen, Matt Nagy’s offense needs that “U” tight end to succeed, and that hasn’t been the case this season.
Look no further than the play of tight ends Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen for that frustration. With Burton on injured reserve and Shaheen nursing a foot injury, the onus falls on Ben Braunecker to take a bulk of those reps.
Just as the Bears’ offense was trying to establish a rhythm early, Braunecker dropped a sure-fire touchdown from Trubisky. The ball was perfectly placed and hit him in the hands, and Braunecker simply dropped it. It perfectly summarized the struggles of the tight ends this season.
3. The Return of Khalil Mack
Not that Khalil Mack has been absent on the field, but he was absent in the box score in last week’s loss to the Rams. Not only did Mack dominate the box score, he was all over the field in Sunday’s win.
There was no better feeling than watching Mack get to Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and force a strip-sack just when the Bears needed some momentum. Three plays later, Chicago’s offense capitalized with a two-yard touchdown run from Trubisky to take a 19-7 lead at the time.
While the Giants certainly tried to contain him, Mack surged through double and triple teams and made his impact known. Whether it was the strip-sack or running through three lineman to force Jones out of the pocket and into an incompletion, it was good to have Mack back in the conversation — and the box score.
4. Bears continue to shoot themselves in the foot
If you could point at one thing that has hurt the Bears more than anything this season, it would be the sheer amount of times that they seem to be their own undoing. The self-inflicted mistakes and costly penalties have hurt the Bears in more ways than one.
And that was surely on display against New York, where the Bears almost managed to drop a loss to the lowly Giants. Lucky for the Bears, the Giants didn’t want seem to want to the game either, and they wound up committing more mistakes than Chicago.
Per usual, the Bears’ self-inflicted mistakes happened in the place of what would’ve been positive plays, whether it was a Cody Whitehair penalty negating what would’ve been a season-long pass play of 60 yards to Allen Robinson or Ben Braunecker dropping what a touchdown, which was followed up soon after by a Trubisky interception in the endzone or Eddy Pineiro’s 48-yard extra point attempt that was shanked.
5. Bears get a much-needed win heading into a short week
After last week’s deflating loss to the Los Angeles Rams that ended any slim playoff hopes, the Bears were just looking for a way to get back in the win column with the visiting Giants headed to Soldier Field.
For as much as the Bears have struggled this season, they would’ve hit a new low had they lost to the stumbling Giants. While things were close there at the end, Chicago notched the win and a return to Club Dub as they head into a short week, where they’ll play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
With not much left to play for, aside from trying to build for the future, a win is a win, no matter how ugly. And things were certainly ugly there at times against New York.
