The Chicago Bears stopped the bleeding and snapped their four-game losing streak as they defeated the Detroit Lions 20-13 to improve to 4-5 on the season.
After a slow start to the game in which the Bears were down 6-0, the offense came alive at the end of the first half. quarterback Mitchell Trubisky hit tight end Ben Braunecker on a deep corner route for the score to put the Bears up 7-6 at halftime.
They continued their resurgence, scoring two more touchdowns on consecutive drives from Trubisky, one on a flair route to running back Tarik Cohen and a deep ball to receiver Taylor Gabriel.
Despite a late surge from the Lions and backup quarterback Jeff Driskell, playing for an injured Matthew Stafford, the Bears were able to hold on and secure a win for the first time since late September.
Here are my 5 takeaways from the game on the lakefront.
1. Mitchell Trubisky shows signs of life
The Bears’ starting quarterback has been in the spotlight for much of the last month, whether it was for his lackluster play or for his press conferences in the middle of the week. While his performance on Sunday didn’t necessarily resemble last year’s shellacking where he threw for over 350 yards and accounted for 4 touchdowns, he was noticeably better on Sunday.
Trubisky completed 16 of 33 passes for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns. Coach Matt Nagy utilized his athleticism, rolling him out of the pocket multiple times to set up completions to his receivers. The last time Trubisky threw for three scores was against Washington in Week 3.
The following week, he was injured on the opening drive against Minnesota. Will Trubisky’s success rollover into next week’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams?
2. Danny Trevathan will be sorely missed
Let me clear: inside linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski filled in admirably for Trevathan, who left the game with an elbow injury, and had a fantastic game. But Trevathan is one of the true leaders on this Bears’ defense and losing him for an extended period of time would be a major blow to this defense.
Already down Pro-Bowl defensive end Akiem Hicks for a similar injury, the defense can’t afford more injuries. What’s more is that with Trevathan set to be a free agent this offseason, there’s a chance we’ve seen the last of him in a Bears uniform, depending on the severity of the injury.
Kwiatkoski should provide a solid replacement, but make no mistake: the Bears are better with No. 59 in the lineup.
3. The Bears continue to struggle against backup quarterbacks
When the news broke that Lions starting quarterback Matthew Stafford would miss Sunday’s game, Bears fans rejoiced as their path towards a win looked much clearer. But backup quarterback Jeff Driskel did what other second-stringers have been able to do against the Bears defense: put together a solid performance.
Driskel nearly led the Lions back to tie the game after falling behind 20-6, failing to score a touchdown on the Lions’ final possession as time expired. He wasn’t lighting it up by any means, completing 27 of 46 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown and a pick, but looked relatively comfortable against the Bears.
He’s the latest backup quarterback to put together a good game against the Bears over the last few seasons, a list that includes Teddy Bridgewater, Brock Osweiler, and Brett Hundley. Whether it’s good game planning or a lack of tape, this Bears defense needs to be better against backup signal callers.
4. The Cody Whitehair-James Daniels position switch did nothing for the offense
One of the rumored storylines this week was whether guard Cody Whitehair and center James Daniels would swap positions this week to improve the offensive line play.
Whitehair was a Pro-Bowl center last season and Daniels started eight games in 2018, despite playing center in college. The Bears decided to switch the two players prior to this season until this week when they returned to their 2018 positions.
The only noticeable difference on Sunday was Whitehair’s snaps were very inconsistent. He then revealed in postgame comments that he had not snapped a ball since the Pro Bowl in January.
The switch was primarily due to the calls Daniels was making on the line, but couldn’t Whitehair do that from the guard position? The pair likely stay in the same positions going forward, but Sunday wasn’t a ringing endorsement for the move.
5. The Adam Shaheen experience is over
Last week’s special-teams blunder against the Philadelphia Eagles was likely the nail in the coffin for Shaheen’s Bears career, as he was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game.
He’s failed to develop into the Travis Kelce-esque tight end Bears fans have been hoping for and the coaching staff has seen enough. His replacement, Ben Braunecker, took advantage of the opportunity with his first half touchdown score.
Whether Shaheen sees the field again or not, the move was another lowlight for the former 2017 2nd round draft pick’s career. He doesn’t fit Nagy’s offense and will likely be looking for a new home this offseason.
