Tramon Williams’ jab at Mitch Trubisky and the Bears after their opening-week victory at Soldier Field didn’t cut quite as deeply as the classic 49ers taunt following their 24-0 victory over the Bears in the 1984 NFC Championship Game — “Next time, bring an offense.”
But like that biting jibe that became fuel for the 1985 Bears, the pain in Williams’ explanation of the Packers’ strategy against Trubisky after their 10-3 victory over the Bears in September was in its truth.
“We wanted to make Mitch play quarterback,” Williams, the veteran Packers cornerback said. ”We knew they had a lot of weapons. We knew they were dangerous. But we knew if we could make Mitch play quarterback that we’d have a chance.”
The Packers indeed took away the Bears’ running game, took away Trubisky’s running game to force Trubisky to make plays in the passing game and he came up way short. Trubisky completed 26-of-45 passes for 228 yards, no touchdowns and a crushing end-zone interception by former Bears safety Adrian Amos for a 62.1 passer rating.
Trubisky said he had not heard about Williams’ analysis — until it was brought up Wednesday at Halas Hall.
“I got enough motivation from the outside and I guess that’s even more motivation,” Trubisky said. “I didn’t hear that. I don’t really care.”
Rather than fire back, Trubisky tacitly acknowledged that the truth hurts.
“I didn’t play the way I wanted to [in] the first game — that’s fairly obvious,” he said. “So for him to say something about it — I mean, that’s just an obvious statement, I guess. I want to play better. Got a great opportunity to do that this week.”
Williams’ analysis was framed as trash talk, but was just sound strategy. Amos explained it in a less incendiary manner when asked about it Wednesday.
“We limited him from running,” said Amos, who played for the Bears from 2015-18. “We were just sound. We played well together and we didn’t let him have anything easy.”
Just as those Ditka-era Bears brought on offense the next time — beating the 49ers 26-10 at Candlestick Park in 1985 on their way to winning Super Bowl XX — the 2019 Bears are hoping to show Williams and his teammates a better quarterback and a more proficient offense Sunday at Lambeau Field.
After muddling through most of the season on offense as other opponents applied the Packers’ strategy against Trubisky, the Bears’ offense has shown signs of getting it together. Trubisky threw for 338 yards, three touchdowns and a 118.1 rating in a victory over the Lions on Thanksgiving. He backed that up against the Cowboys ninth-ranked defense with three more touchdown passes, a 115.5 rating and 63 rushing yards in a 31-24 victory last week.
Just as the offensive malaise was not totally on Trubisky, the recent renaissance is a team effort. The Bears’ offensive line is playing better. The running game is better. And not coincidentally, Trubisky’s game has flourished. He was sacked five times against the Packers in Week 1. He’s been sacked five times in the last three games — victories over the Giants, Lions and Cowboys.
“We’re kind of in a rhythm now. We’re a different team,” Trubisky said. “There were some things we had to go through in the first game and the beginning of the season that just didn’t go our way. And there’s things we learned from as an offense.
“I just feel like we have a new-found identity of what we want to do and everybody is really locked into what they have to do.”
