The Chicago Bears beat the Houston Texans 36-7 in their Week 14 matchup. The blowout victory is a breath of fresh air for Bears players and fans. Offense, defense and special teams all played very well for Chicago in the most well-rounded Bears game of the season. Here are 3 Bears takeaways from Week 14.
Between Week 4 and Week 10, Nick Foles started at quarterback over Mitch Trubisky. Because of Foles’ poor play and a hip injury, Trubisky took over as starter in Week 12. Since the change, Chicago’s offense has done much better.
Mitch Trubisky scrambles for a first down against the Texans. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Since Trubisky replaced Foles, the Bears have scored at least 25 points in each game, combining for a total of 91 points. In Trubisky’s six starts this season, the Bears have averaged 28.5 points per game. Meanwhile, in Foles’ seven starts, the Bears are averaging just 16.7 points per game. There is no doubt that the Bears offense is more dynamic when Trubisky is on the field.
Some credit must go to offensive play caller Bill Lazor for Trubisky’s improved play. One of the young quarterback’s main critiques in the past is his poor accuracy. Instead of overlooking this, Lazor has called a lot of play action and short passes, things that get Mitch comfortable. Chicago’s offense has seen dividends, as Trubisky has a solid completion percentage of 67.2% and only 2 interceptions over the past three games.
This season, the Bears has offense has been much better with Trubisky as quarterback. It may be that Foles is a bad scheme fit or he is past his prime. Either way, all aspects of Chicago’s offense have been better with Trubisky on the field. It is clear that Trubisky should be starting over Foles the rest of the season.
In a season where many Bears defenders have disappointed, linebacker Roquan Smith has been a clear standout player. The 2018 first round draft pick played well in his first two seasons in the NFL, but he has shown much improvement this year.
Roquan Smith and Khalil Mack sack Deshaun Watson for a safety. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
This season Smith leads the league in solo tackles, is third in combined tackles and has the second most tackles for loss. He has been stellar in coverage as well. When thrown to, he has only allowed 60% of passes to be caught and 3.4 yards per target. All around, Smith is playing at an All-Pro level this year.
He added to his impressive stat line on Sunday against the Texans. He had 12 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 3 quarterback hits. To reach Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson 3 times is an impressive feat, as Watson is one of the best and most agile quarterbacks in the league. Smith was also a part of Chicago’s sack in the end zone that went for a safety.
Roquan Smith has shown his star ability and leadership traits for this Bears defense. Based on his performance in the 2020 NFL Season, he is clearly an All-Pro caliber player. For years to come, he should continue this play and become the figurehead for Chicago’s defense.
Despite Chicago’s convincing win over the Texans, Bears fans should not start thinking that they will likely reach the playoffs.
On paper, it seems like the Bears have a good shot to slip into the playoffs with the seventh seed. They have a fairly easy schedule from here on out and are only one game behind the Arizona Cardinals for the last spot in the NFC.
However, it is not that simple. This Bears team only has one game where each unit came together and all played well. They only have one win over a team with a winning record, and most of their wins were very close games. Their 6-7 record could easily be worse.
The blowout win over the Texans may seem like a turning of the page. However, the Texans were missing their four best wide receivers and their number one running back. They also have one of the worst defenses in the league, making it easy for the Bears to put up 36 points. It may not have been as impressive of a win as the score would suggest.
Despite the big win over the Texans to stop Chicago’s losing streak, it is too early to predict the Bears to be playoff bound. They certainly have a chance to make it, but at this point, it is not smart to assume Chicago will finish the season in the playoffs.
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