The Chicago Bears are undefeated after two weeks, but they haven’t convinced anyone that they’re contenders just yet. That’s what happens when you eke out wins against two of the worst teams in the NFL when you should blow them out.
Chicago’s first two games have come down to the final play, where they’ve gotten lucky with a dropped pass in the end zone against the Detroit Lions and batted away a pass in the final seconds. Still, a win is a win. And right now, the Bears have two more than several teams in the league.
The Bears dropped one spot in Touchdown Wire’s post-Week 2 power rankings, which means they likely weren’t too convinced after Chicago had to fend off a late Giants rally to secure their second win of the season.
Although, they’re feeling encouraged by Trubisky’s Week 2 performance, which if he can be consistent through four quarters would do wonders for the Bears offense.
“As a result, we still have no earthly idea what Trubisky is. Perhaps the Giants can provide clarity next Sunday. Perhaps not.”
That’s what I wrote in last week’s Power Rankings regarding Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who was so bad in the first three quarters against the Lions, you couldn’t have blamed head coach Matt Nagy if he’d pulled Trubisky for high-priced backup Nick Foles. But then, Trubisky threw three fourth-quarter touchdowns against Detroit’s injury-depleted secondary, and all was relatively right with the world. Trubisky continued that hot streak through the first half of Chicago’s 17-13 win over the Giants, with 13 completions in 18 attempts for 159 yards, two more touchdowns, and no interceptions.
So, what do we think of Trubisky now? There are still matters of concern, but as my Touchdown Wire colleague Mark Schofield pointed out on Monday, Trubisky has made advances when it comes to pre- and post-snap recognition. Which could be a career-saver.
The Bears offense was impressive in the first half against the Giants — orchestrating touchdown drives on their first and last possessions of the half — to score 17 unanswered points. But the second half was a different story. They were held scoreless and struggled to maintain the same momentum and hot streak they’d started with.
Chicago’s defense had a much better outing than the season opener, where they brought pressure with four sacks on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and two takeaways. While the Giants were able to march down the field on the final drive, the defense made a play when they needed to in order to secure the win.
The Bears will face their toughest challenge so far this season when they face the winless Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, who are facing a must-win situation following two brutal losses to start the year.