The Chicago Bears led from start to finish in their 34-22 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Here are five takeaways from the game …
1. Trubisky Has Arrived
As if there was any doubt, Mitchell Trubisky has arrived. At home against a division rival and a formidable pass defense, Trubisky dominated. He showed just about all of his talents at the position, throwing the deep ball, fitting throws into tight spaces, and even opening up the playbook with a rushing score of his own. In total, Trubisky accounted for four touchdowns and no takeaways, which is absolutely huge, especially as the Bears move into the heart of their schedule.
2. Return of the Mack
Khalil Mack is certainly back. His presence is felt on just about every play with double teams, but today, he showed up in the stat book as well. Mack recorded five tackles, including two tackles for loss and two sacks. On the second of his sacks, he ran past one blocker and through another, showing his ability to beat pass-blockers with his speed and power, and returning as the best pass rusher in the league.
3. Allen Robinson Explodes
Khalil Mack wasn’t the only Bear that returned today and made a big impact, as Allen Robinson had his best game yet as a Bear. A-Rob exploded for 133 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon, including an early deep touchdown from Trubisky in the first quarter. Robinson was a huge free agent signing for Chicago in the offseason and played like it today. He was also the most targeted receiver for Chicago, and if he can keep that up, the signing will certainly pay off for the Bears and this offense. Robinson looks the part of a number-one wideout that the team has lacked for a few seasons.
4. Big-Play Bryce
Bryce Callahan, although normally just considered a nickel corner, was enormous for Chicago’s secondary today. Early on, Vic Fangio called a corner blitz, and Callahan capitalized with a sack on Matthew Stafford. Callahan also grabbed another tackle for loss, but most importantly, was a shutdown corner in the nickel package. The do-it-all defender was fourth on the team in tackles with five and led the team with two passes defended.
5. Poor Performance from Special Teams
As great as this team performance was today, it was not all positive. The special teams looked awful today, led by Cody Parkey missing four kicks (two extra points, two field goals). I am never really a fan of cutting players midseason for on-the-field issues, but it might be time to let Parkey go if this continues. He has basically been the anti-Robbie Gould, as Parkey also really hurt the Bears against the Dolphins in their Week 6 loss by missing what would have been a game-winner.
Chicago Bears – Detroit Lions Postgame Show
I feel that Coach Nagy is handling this ‘ Parkey issue’ fine for now. Why rock the boat as the team seems to be playing really well in 2 of 3 phases?