The Chicago Bears pulled off a magic trick, escaping Denver with a 16-14 win thanks to a 53-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro.
For three and a half quarters, the Bears were in control of this game, leading 13-6. A late surge by Joe Flacco and the Denver offense saw the lead disappear thanks to a toe-tap touchdown by Emmanuel Sanders.
With just seconds on the clock, Mitchell Trubisky moved the team into scoring position, setting up Pineiro’s kick to steal the victory.
Here are five takeaways from the Bears win.
The Bears have their kicker
We knew at some point, a game would fall on the shoulders of Eddy Pineiro. It came early in the season when Pineiro hit the game-winning 53-yard field goal with one second left on the clock to give the Bears a 16-14 win in Denver.
Following a strike from Trubsiky to Allen Robinson to put Pineiro into field goal range, the second-year pro won the hearts of Bears fans with one swift kick. Any questions as to whether the Bears made the right call with Pineiro can likely be put to bed.
He was 3-for-3 on the season going into that last attempt, but everyone knew the true test would come when he’d have to kick a game winner. Pineiro showed he has ice in his veins and he’s the reason the Bears aren’t winless to start the season.
The Bears need their running game to carry the offense
Following their first game against the Green Bay Packers where they only ran the ball 15 times, the Bears had a much-more balanced attack versus the Broncos.
Led by rookie David Montgomery with 62 yards on 18 carries, the Bears as a whole ran the ball 29 times. Meanwhile, Trubisky only attempted 22 passes.
Nagy made the necessary adjustments to keep the ball on the ground and it paid off. The team averaged 5.3 yards per carry, and the coaching staff realized feeding Montgomery the ball would produce results.
If Trubisky continues to struggle moving the ball, the running game will be essential to the team’s success.
Mitchell Trubisky is becoming a game manager
Many people wondered how Trubisky would respond following one of his worst games of his young Bears career. After a dismal performance against the Packers, Trubisky played better against the Broncos, but didn’t do enough to quiet the doubters.
He finished the game 16-of-27 for 120 yards, many of his passes being checkdowns. He averaged only 4.4 yards per completion, and his longest pass went for 25 yards — the final play of the game to set up Pineiro’s field goal attempt.
In other words, he’s the definition of a game manager. His job is now to take care of the football and do just enough to keep the chains moving. It’s not exactly what the team was envisioning with Trubisky entering his third season.
Unfortunately, his final drive doesn’t dismiss the uneven play during the first three and a half quarters. Trubisky needs to do more and become the reason the Bears win games.
The defense is no fluke
Aside from the final drive, the Bears defense once again lived up to their billing, holding Joe Flacco and the Denver offense to just two field goals through three and a half quarters.
They were either getting sacks or causing holding penaltiesagainst the Broncos offensive line, resulting in stalled drives. The final series where Denver scored may have occurred due to heat and altitude, as the entire unit looked sluggish.
For most of the game, the Broncos were unable to put much of anything together. Finally, the Bears were able to get their first turnover at the perfect time as Kyle Fuller intercepted Flacco late in the fourth quarter as the team entered the redzone.
This team gives off a 2005 Bears vibe
Two games is a small sample size, but the 2019 Bears are already resembling a team from last decade: the 2005 Bears.
For those who don’t remember, the 2005 team had a stellar defense but were inept on offense. Rookie quarterback Kyle Orton operated as a game manager and the team funneled their offense through their running game.
Sound familiar?
That team did win 11 games, but it was due to the defensive dominance.
After having a middle-of-the-road offense in 2018, the Bears rank 30th in the league in yards per game with 263.5. Only the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins rank worse to start the season.
On defense, however, the Chicago ranks fourth. To compare the 2005 season, the offense ranked 29th while the defense finished second. If the trend continues, the Bears may be good enough to make the playoffs, but don’t expect them to go far.
