You should not be surprised by how well the NFL's best defense played against one of the NFL's most efficient offenses. The in a game that felt more like a three-touchdown blowout. Chicago's defense held the to 214 yards -- and just 98 in the first half -- didn't allow a touchdown to a team that hadn't scored fewer than 23 points in a game this season, and held the Rams' offense to 3.5 yards per play -- of what they averaged coming into Sunday night. This marks the first time the Rams have been held without a touchdown since Sean McVay took over. What a game from the defense. dan durkin (@djdurkin) It also marked the return of , and that could mean a great deal to the Bears' hopes of a deep playoff run. Trubisky returns to mixed reviewsThis was Trubisky's first game since Week 11 when he suffered a right-shoulder injury late against the . The timing couldn't have been worse, as the second-year quarterback
Ender Inciarte Jersey was coming off his most consistent stretch of the season. In Week 9, the Bears cruised to a 34-22 victory over the and Trubisky finished 23 of 30 for 355 yards and three touchdowns. In that game he was smart and efficient, and he looked every bit the franchise quarterback the Bears envisioned when they selected him second overall in the 2017 . A week later against the Vikings, Trubisky didn't put up the numbers we saw against Detroit, but this was his second-best effort of the year. It was a milestone of sorts, because other than his six-touchdown performance against the in Week 4, there were plenty of reasons to wonder if he'd ever grow into the role. Trubisky over the first two months of the season too often looked to pull the ball down and run, too impatient to stay in the pocket to let the routes unfold in front of him. But first-year coach Matt Nagy, who spent 10 years on Andy Reid's staff, never wavered; he knew this would be a proce s, and it appears we're starting to see the glimpses of what Trubisky can become. "He's slowly improving, which I love," Nagy said after the Lions win. "It's not going to be an overnight thing; he had a good game and we want to continue to have those good games. But there's a proce s
Phil Niekro Jersey to it." And then Trubisky was injured against the Vikings. He didn't touch a football for 10 days, stood on the sidelines as started the predictable Thanksgiving win against the Lions and the inexplicable 30-27 overtime lo s to the . Now, three weeks later, Trubisky is back on the field and looks a lot like the quarterback we saw over the first seven or eight weeks. Trubisky mi sed wide open receivers from the start. He airmailed on the first drive and gave the easiest interception he'll likely ever have: . was waiting... and he picked it! INTERCEPTION! : on NBC NFL (@NFL) And then, while trying to drive the Bears into field goal range at the end of the half, he woefully underthrew near the sidelines: PICKED. gives the their second INT of the half!: on NBC NFL (@NFL) Again, the Bears' defense bailed Trubisky out, stifling any offense the Rams might try to muster, and the teams went into the break, tied 6-6. And whatever defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told his unit while they loaded up on orange slices, it must've stuck. Chicago's defense came out and stuffed Gurley for a five-yard lo s. They followed that negative play up with negative play: SAFETY! sacks Goff and gives an 8-6 lead!: on NBC NFL (@NFL) Nagy appeared to simplify things for Trubisky too. He threw confidently on his first
Kurt Suzuki Jersey two attempts of the second half, and both went for first downs. That confidence got the Rams' attention and, as a consequence, opened things up in the running game. We saw glimpses of that in the first half with : Just give it to the speedster. is off for 32 yards! : on NBC NFL (@NFL) But it was taken up several notches after the break. Cohen ripped off a 23-yard run, and Trubisky followed that up with an eight-yard pa s that took the Bears down to the Rams' 2-yard line. And then things got : Another big man TD for ! finds OT Bradley Sowell for SIX.: on NBC NFL (@NFL) That's right, a big-fella touchdown, courtesy of tackle . The only thing better than a big man TD?A big man TD DANCE on SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) But Rusty Trubisky didn't stay in the locker room at the half; he was on the field for the Bears' second series and made another terribly inaccurate throw -- right to the Rams. The score was 15-6 at the
Jose Ramirez Jersey time, and Los Angeles was in Chicago territory poised to make a move. That lasted all of five seconds because Goff out-Trubisky'd Trubisky on the very next play: Back-to-back interceptions! picks Trubisky and Kyle Fuller takes it back on the next play! : on NBC NFL (@NFL) But in the fourth quarter, the Rams were able to string together a drive. Fourteen plays and 5:21 later, Chicago held firm, L.A. was forced to attempt a field goal ... and doinked it off the right upright. The Bears maintained that nine-point lead with 10 minutes to go. The Rams got the ball back four minutes later and, well, that blip of offensive football on the previous drive? Turns out that was an aberration. They ran seven plays for just eight yards, including a fourth-and-4 sack courtesy of . 3 INTs.3 sacks.6 points allowed. defense tonight : on NBC NFL (@NFL) The Rams got the ball back two minutes later and that drive ended like three of the 12 before it: with a Bears interception (more on that below). As for Trubisky, he has a long way to go as a pure pa ser. This isn't some great secret. But when you factor in the Bears' defense and Nagy's ability to dial up the right plays in spite of Trubisky's inexperience, Chicago is basically running the offense the are striving for with . Right now, the Bears are doing it better, in part because their defense allows them to get away with some growing pains. This Bears defense is terrifyingHere was the big question coming into this game: Could the Bears stop the Rams' stretch zone? Because just about everything L.A. does succe sfully on offense is a function of the stretch zone. It starts with Gurley and the running game, obviously, but extends to many of the throws Goff makes downfield, as well as the bootlegs and roll-outs. To answer the question, consider this: Gurley finished with 11 carries for 28 yards -- that's 2.5 yards per carry -- and Goff was an abysmal 20 of 43 for 180 yards (4.1 YPA!), no scores and interceptions. Yes, one came on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half, but the other three were all on Goff. Here's No. 1: The rookie LB intercepts Jared Goff and returns it inside the 5! : on NBC NFL (@NFL) Now you could make the case that left tackle stepped on Goff's plant foot as he attempted
Greg Maddux Jersey to follow throw. Fair enough. But where was Goff going with that pa s even if he had an unobstructed view? Goff's second pick came at the end of the first half on what amounted to a Hail Mary. Here's No. 3: LUCKY #7 for Kyle Fuller! |
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