5 takeaways from Bears’ 24-20 comeback win over Lions

The Bears defeated the Lions 24-20, as they improved to 6-6 on the season. There was plenty to digest from this Thanksgiving game.

The calendar may have said Thanksgiving, but it was beginning to feel a lot like September as the Chicago Bears have a winning streak for the first time in two months, beating the Detroit Lions 24-20 to improve to 6-6 on the season.

Both teams landed blows on their first two drives, scoring touchdowns to make the score 7-7. The Lions attempted to pull away but never led by more than 10 points. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky then led his team to touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarter, putting the Bears ahead for good, while the defense survived a last-ditch effort from rookie quarterback David Blough, making his first NFL debut on the national stage.

Like sides at a Thanksgiving dinner, there were many different takeaways from this game, such as the continued strong play of inside linebacker Roquan Smith, what’s going on with special teams and Chris Tabor, how the referees could miss a blatant roughing the passer call on Trubisky, or how valuable wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is to this team. But here are my 5 takeaways that stuck out to me most during this latest Bears win.

1. Mitchell Trubisky finally played like it was 2018

Ever since he suffered his shoulder injury back in 2018 when the Bears defeated the Vikings, Trubisky simply hasn’t been the same. Prior to the injury, he had been on a heater, throwing for over 300 yards four times in six weeks and averaging a quarterback rating of 112.3 during that span.

After over a year, he finally returned to that form, at least for one game, throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns with a 118.1 quarterback rating. For the most part, Trubisky looked sharp, leading the Bears to their first opening-drive touchdown since Week 4 and orchestrating a 90-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter that ended up being the game winner.

His day wasn’t perfect, as he did look timid at times while running and under-threw wide receiver Allen Robinson on a crossing route, resulting in an interception, but it’s clear this was easily his best game since last year’s win against the Lions at Soldier Field. The question is, can he build on it and string together these types of performances to mount one final playoff push?

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Bears WR Anthony Miller shines on career day vs. Lions

While WR Anthony Miller has had a rough sophomore season, he’s finding ways to restore faith that he can be productive for the Bears.

Anthony Miller’s career day started off anything but encouraging. The Bears’ second-year receiver had a slow start in the first half of Chicago’s comeback 24-20 victory over the Lions.

Miller dropped an eight-yard pass from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the first quarter. The play was initially ruled a fumble, but after review was ruled an incomplete pass. Then there was a costly fourth-down penalty, the ensuing play resulting in a turnover on downs.

‘‘What I’m thinking about is the first half I had; I think it was horrible,’’ Miller said, via the Sun-Times. ‘‘I think it’s one of the worst halves I’ve had since I’ve been playing in the league.’’

But things changed for Miller in the second half as he came alive in what was a career day — nine catches for 140 yards, including some clutch catches as the Bears overcame a 10-point deficit.

As the Bears were driving for the go-ahead score, Miller sparked the offense with three clutch receptions, including two third-down conversions, that got the Bears within striking distance.

‘‘They were dimes,’’ Miller said. ‘‘The ball’s where it’s supposed to be, and all I had to do was make the play.’’

Facing third-and-four on their own 16, Trubisky found Miller for a 35-yard reception that set the Bears up on the Lions’ 49. Then, facing third-and-five from the Lions’ 34, Miller completed a 32-yard reception that set the Bears up at the 2.

Two plays later, Trubisky found running back David Montgomery for a three-yard score that gave the Bears a 24-20 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

In the last three games, Miller has caught 20 passes for 371 yards.

While Miller has had his share of struggles with the Bears in his first two seasons, these last couple of games seem to be restoring faith that the young receiver can make an impact for years to come.

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3 reasons to be thankful for Bears’ 24-20 win over Lions

The Bears emerged victorious in a comeback victory thanks to the performances of QB Mitch Trubisky, S Eddie Jackson and WR Anthony Miller.

The Chicago Bears (6-6) celebrated Thanksgiving with a clutch 24-20 victory over the Detroit Lions (3-8-1).

While the game was too close for one’s liking, the Bears battled through adversity and battled back from a 10-point deficit to earn their second straight win and their fourth consecutive against the Lions.

Here are three reasons to be thankful for the Bears’ Thanksgiving win over Detroit:

1. Mitchell Trubisky’s success vs. Lions

Mitchell Trubisky continued his success against the Lions with perhaps his best performance of the season on Thanksgiving Day. After finding success against Detroit in Week 10 — where he threw for three touchdowns — Trubisky continued that success against the Lions in Week 13.

Trubisky completed 29-of-38 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 118.1 passer rating. He notched a season-high in passing yards, as well as tied his season-high in touchdown passes.

While the game ultimately came down to a defensive stop, Trubisky did enough to rally the Bears down 10 points in the second quarter to notch their second straight win — and their fourth consecutive win over the Lions.

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Stud and duds from Bears’ Thanksgiving win over Lions

For the first time all season, the Chicago Bears’ offense stepped up when their defense needed them to. Chuck Pagano’s unit had surprising trouble with Detroit Lions undrafted rookie quarterback David Blough, but Mitchell Trubisky and company found …

For the first time all season, the Chicago Bears’ offense stepped up when their defense needed them to.

Chuck Pagano’s unit had surprising trouble with Detroit Lions undrafted rookie quarterback David Blough, but Mitchell Trubisky and company found the endzone three times to hold on for the 24-20 victory.

With no Taylor Gabriel or Ben Braunecker, Chicago’s weapons stepped up to help Trubisky break 300 yards for the first time all season against a Lions team in free fall.

Matt Nagy had plenty to be thankful for on his Thursday afternoon. Here are the studs and duds from Week 13.

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Instant Analysis of Bears’ 24-20 win over Lions

The Bears overcame a 10-point deficit and notched their 2nd straight victory with a 24-20 victory over the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

The Chicago Bears celebrated Thanksgiving with a 24-20 victory over the Detroit Lions. It was anything but a pretty win, but the win kept Chicago’s slim playoff hopes alive at 6-6.

The Bears overcame a 10-point deficit to defeat the Lions for a fourth consecutive time.

Chicago’s defense got off to a shaky start against third-string quarterback David Blough, who started the game with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay. The Lions followed up that drive with a 10-play 78-yard scoring drive that culminated in a Blough to Marvin Jones Jr. and a 14-7 lead.

After jumping out to a 17-7 lead in the first half, Chicago’s offense battled back to cut the lead to 17-10 at halftime after a 30-yard Eddy Pineiro field goal.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky continued his hot streak against the Lions with perhaps his best performance of the season. He completed 29-of-38 passes for 338 yards with three touchdowns and one interceptions good enough for a 118.1 passer rating. Trubisky had just two incompletions in the

With the Bears thin at tight end, Jesper Horsted came up big for the Bears with an 18-yard touchdown reception that tied the game at 17-17 in the third quarter.

Chicago took its second lead of the game in the fourth quarter with a nine-play 90-yard drive that culminated in a Trubisky to David Montgomery three-yard touchdown pass.

With the Bears leading 24-20 with less than two minutes remaining, the Lions were threatening to score the go-ahead touchdown. The defense came up big, including a Roquan Smith sack for a 13-yard loss on third-and-nine.

But it was safety Eddie Jackson who intercepted Blough on a Hail Mary on fourth-and-22 with :29 left in the game that sealed the victory.

The Bears have a week before their next Thursday matchup, a primetime game against the Dallas Cowboys.

4 bold predictions for Bears’ Week 13 matchup vs. Lions

Will Mitchell Trubisky replicate his performance? Will Eddie Jackson get his first INT this season? Our Bears bold predictions vs. Lions.

The Chicago Bears (5-6) are looking to extend their winning streak to two when they face off against the struggling Detroit Lions (3-7-1) on Thanksgiving.

The Bears are looking to complete the season sweep against the Lions, as they defeated Detroit 20-13 in their first meeting three weeks ago. But Chicago will have to do it shorthanded, as they have six players already ruled out for Thursday’s game.

Here are four bold predictions for the Bears’ Week 13 matchup:

1. Mitchell Trubisky replicates 3-TD performance vs. Lions

Mitchell Trubisky has historically played well against the Detroit Lions in his career. He has an eight to three touchdown to interception ratio with a 68% completion, a 102.0 passer rating and an average of 7.9 yards per attempt, all numbers that rank better than his career numbers.

Factor in the fact the Lions defense is playing at its worst, most recently losing to the Dwayne Haskins-led Redskins. Then there’s that fact that one of Trubisky’s best games this season came just three weeks ago against the Lions, where he tossed three touchdowns.

Considering the Lions defense hasn’t improved much since their last meeting — and the Bears offense is looking to build off their third quarter success — Trubisky could be in for his best game this season, complete with a repeat three-touchdown performance.

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Instant analysis of Bears’ 19-14 win over Giants

Like most of the Chicago Bears’ wins this year, Week 12 wasn’t pretty, but they got the job done against an inferior opponent. The Bears got back into the win column on Sunday, beating the New York Giants 19-14 to improve to 5-6 on the year. After a …

Like most of the Chicago Bears’ wins this year, Week 12 wasn’t pretty, but they got the job done against an inferior opponent.

The Bears got back into the win column on Sunday, beating the New York Giants 19-14 to improve to 5-6 on the year.

After a slow first half that only produced three points, the Bears came out firing the second half, scoring two touchdowns and holding the Giants to seven points.

Mitchell Trubisky completed 25 of 41 passes for 278 yards, his highest total of the season, for one touchdown and two interceptions. He also ran for a score as well.

His touchdown through the air was a 32-yard dart to Allen Robinson in the third quarter, who led all players with 131 receiving yards on six catches.

On defense, Khalil Mack returned to his All-Pro form, strip-sacking Giants QB Daniel Jones to set up Trubisky’s rushing touchdown to put them up 19-7.

Jones did lead a late rally, scoring on a heave to WR Golden Tate on a 4th and 18 to pull the Giants within one score, but that’s as close as they would get. The Giants were also burned by two missed field goals by kicker Aldrick Rosas.

The Bears continue to play well enough to beat bad opponents on their schedule. While Trubisky flashed with crisp throws to Robinson and Anthony Miller, he also threw a pair of back-breaking interceptions that were simply bad decisions.

The defense shines when they play with the lead, but once again gives up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. As a whole, the team simply plays too inconsistently and struggles to put together a complete game.

A short week awaits them as they travel to Detroit (3-7-1) for a second-straight Thanksgiving matchup as they attempt to keep their extremely slim playoff hopes alive.

Bears OC Mark Helfrich: Receivers’ dropped passes have been ‘stone-cold drops’

The Bears offense has struggled mightily this season, and dropped passes by receivers has been a problem for Chicago.

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The Chicago Bears offense has been bad, even historically bad at times this season. And while a bulk of that falls on the struggles of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and play-caller Matt Nagy, there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Look no further than the Bears’ receiving corp., who were believed to have been the strongest group at that position in quite awhile in Chicago. Instead, they’re a group that has the second-most dropped passes in the NFL with 17.

“Our drops generally have been … stone-cold drops,” offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. “Clean drops. And that’s not good. Every day, they’re doing drills that are working to correct that.”

Even though Tarik Cohen, a running back, leads the Bears in dropped passes, he’s a big part of that receiving game. Allen Robinson actually leads Bears receivers with four drops, followed by Anthony Miller with three dropped passes.

The Bears receivers will look to rebound against a struggling New York Giants defense Sunday at Soldier Field.

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Giants vs. Bears: 6 things to know about Week 12

The New York Giants and Chicago Bears square off on Sunday in Week 12, so here are six things fans should know.

The New York Giants (2-8) head out to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears (4-6) in a meeting between two of the NFC’s most disappointing teams this season.

Here are six things to know:

The history

This is the 52nd meeting between two of the NFL’s most iconic franchises dating back to 1925. With a win on Sunday the Giants would improve their all-time record against the Bears to 22-28-2. A victory this week would also improve the Giants’ road record against the Bears to 12-13.

The Giants are making their first trip to Soldier Field since 2013, a 27-21 Bears victory on Thursday Night Football in Week 6.

The teams have met just 18 times since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger and had played only three times between 1970 and the January 5, 1986 NFC Divisional Playoff game in which the Bears shut the Giants out, 21-0, at Soldier Field.

The Giants are 7-5 against the Bears since the teams last met in the postseason — a 31-3 victory in the 1991 NFC Divisional Playoffs.

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5 takeaways from the Bears’ 17-7 loss vs. the Rams

From missed FGs to finishing with a potential quarterback controversy, there was a lot to unpack in the Bears’ 17-7 loss to the Rams.

A de facto game to see who remains in the playoff hunt on Sunday evening took place as the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams squared off in primetime. After a back and forth game, the Rams landed the final blow, scoring a touchdown in the final few minutes to secure the win 17-7, effectively ending the Bears playoff hopes as they fall to 4-6.

It was the same old story for coach Matt Nagy’s squad. The offense continued to sputter when the team needed a spark, and their defense played well enough to keep the team in the game until the final minutes when Rams coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff orchestrated a 4 minute drive that resulted in a touchdown.

From starting out with two missed field goals to finishing with a potential quarterback controversy, there was a lot to unpack in this game. Here are my five takeaways from the Bears loss.

1. “Benching” quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was a cowardly move by Matt Nagy

You can call it a hip injury, but I’m calling it a benching. Down 10 points and following the Rams’ final touchdown, Trubisky was removed from the game in favor of backup quarterback Chase Daniel. The team sent out a memo, saying he was dealing with a hip injury and Nagy explained in his press conference he hurt it in the second half, but Trubisky says the injury occurred in the first half.

Those reports do not add up and the situation did not pass the eye test after seeing Nagy talk with his quarterback on the sideline and watching Trubisky walk off the field when the game ended. I could end up being wrong, but I’m not buying the injury. I saw a coach attempt to save his skin by playing his backup and a dejected (potentially former) starting quarterback look like someone told him his dog had died.

Benching Trubisky does nothing at this point in the season except raise more questions and create unrest in the locker room. Trubisky didn’t light it up tonight, but until the final couple of drives, he played alright and was plagued by drops from his receivers. Still, in my opinion, the decision to remove Trubisky with three minutes to go was the wrong move, and I’m not buying the injury excuse.

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