CHICAGO -- After a narrow escape in Phoenix where the
Chicago Bears rode a stout defense, just enough offense, and a little luck to down the Arizona Cardinals, the Bears returned home at 2-1 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
This week, the Bears took on the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a clash of 2-1 teams at Soldier Field. The Bucs, led by the reborn Ryan Fitzpatrick, came off a prime time loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but got their first two draft picks, DT Vita Vea and RB Ronald Jones, to make their debuts against the Bears.
I picked the Bucs to win this game, mainly because of their offensive potential firepower and the fact that the Bears were missing CB Prince Amukamara and WR Anthony Miller in this game.
In the end, I was sooooooooooooooo incredibly wrong. The Bears started fast and kept building on it, taking advantage of a lost Bucs' young secondary. It was easily the best outing we've seen from a Bears' offense in ... forever. Mitch Trubisky was locked in for a large part of the game, throwing five touchdowns in the first HALF. Tarik Cohen and Taylor Gabriel had big days, and the Bears blew out the Buccaneers in a game that wasn't even as close as the score.
I had real-time thoughts and reactions during the game, which I'm sharing below. Feel free to continue the conversation with me on Twitter: @DhruvKoul. Enjoy!
1. Another opening, scripted drive, and another touchdown for the Bears' offense. It was great to see Trubisky make a good RPO decision, when he kept it around right end for a long run. And then the next play, he recovered from a stumble nicely to hit Trey Burton on a long, 39-yard touchdown pass to put the Bears in front.
Of course, on Chicago's second drive, they turned a 1st-and-5 into a 4th-and-17 thanks to more poor play from Trubisky. This offense HAS to be better after they get away from the script, and it all starts with Trubisky.
2. That being said, what a magnificent throw to Allen Robinson on their third drive, which went for a touchdown. He's a naturally accurate thrower who has struggled to get his mechanics and footwork in line this season so far. He had everything working on that touchdown pass. What a beauty.
3. The Bears' defense has been solid so far, but they got burned by the Bucs' big play tendencies on a long gain by Desean Jackson. Tampa Bay has too many weapons not to make some big plays, but the hope is the Bears can limit them and the damage overall, especially in the red zone. They did just that on that drive, limiting them to a field goal.
4. Very next drive, Trubisky goes deep repeatedly. He missed high to Taylor Gabriel on his first throw (a pattern), but it was negated by a defensive hold. Trubisky then hit Gabriel and Tarik Cohen on beautiful, long pass plays to set them up with a goal-to-go, and then hit Cohen for a touchdown. What an incredible start.
5. Khalil Mack with another forced fumble. Drink. But seriously, it's absolutely unbelievable what this guy is doing. He's hands down the Defensive Player of the Year so far, and it ain't particularly close.
6. Wide open receivers open down the field. Drink. This time it was Trey Burton and Josh Bellamy waltzing into open space. I almost feel bad for Tampa Bay right now. But, I also know that no lead is safe. Keep the pedal to the metal.
7. Eddie Jackson is an excellent center fielder and an absolute steal by Ryan Pace. He read the Bucs' 3rd-and-19 beautifully and intercepted Fitzpatrick's throw to kill a promising drive after the Bears raced out to a 35-3 lead.
8. I saw some criticism on Twitter that the Bears played it conservatively at the end of the first half and they should've gone for the TD instead of the FG. Ideally, yes, but I don't have an issue with their approach because the Bucs were getting the ball back after halftime. Say the Bears stayed aggressive and something went wrong, setting up an easy score. Then, the Bucs would have the first possession of the second half and have the opportunity to shift the momentum. Yes, at worst, the Bucs would still be down by 16 if they'd scored two TDs and converted two-point conversions. But still, it's a different ballgame at that point even after thorough domination from the Bears. It'd certainly leave a different taste in their mouths. Chicago got the FG, and took a 38-3 lead into halftime.
9. The Bucs opted to start Jameis Winston in the second half, benching the wild ride that was Fitzmagic. Khalil Mack greeted him quickly with a hit on his throwing arm that led to an INT from Danny Trevathan. This defense is something else.
10. Next drive, another touchdown pass for Trubisky, which featured a beautifully placed throw on a wheel route to Tarik Cohen. Trubisky has had a lot of wide open receivers today, but he's also made some very good throws that are less dependent on scheme and more dependent on talent.
11. Bilal Nichols is incredibly impressive. Another late-round steal for Ryan Pace.
12. You know who else has been a terrific pickup? Aaron Lynch. Great interception and he's been showing off his athleticism a lot so far this year.
13. What a great win. It's been a LONG time since the Bears won a game early in the second half. The Bucs are not a bad team, either. This was a complete and thorough effort from the Bears to crush a 2-1 team.
14. The Bears head into the bye week in absolutely terrific shape. They are 3-1, about where I thought they *should* be based on matchups, and it's great that they actually made it there. Remember, in the John Fox era, you could never expect them to beat inferior opponents. Oh, and they're in first place!
Hopefully, Prince Amukamara and Anthony Miller are able to return after the bye when they head to Miami to take on the 3-1 Dolphins (assuming the 38-0 New England lead against them currently holds).
The Dolphins are a better team than I expected, and they'll be at home, but with a bye week to prepare and get healthy, I expect the Bears to build on their momentum from this huge victory and take one on the road.
Very early prediction: Bears 23, Dolphins 20.
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