Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had another solid performance on Sunday on a day in which the Bears defense garnered most of the attention.
Trubisky finished the Bears' 41-9 win over the Bills with 12 completions for 135 yards. It's the fewest completions and passing yards he's recorded in a game this year, but his final stats don't tell the whole story. The Bills were flagged for three pass interference calls, negating 100 yards of potential Trubisky passing.
"We tried to take a couple shots [downfield] to keep them honest," Trubisky said. "I feel like I put the ball in the right spots, and receivers are running great routes and get behind [the defense], so that's pretty much their only option unless they want us to score on the play is to pass interfere. So I feel like we just got to keep getting those connections, and if they don't pass interfere, then we connect on those, but it is what it is, so we take the penalty and move on with points."
Despite a few deep balls being voided by penalties, Trubisky was able to connect on a few long balls in the first half and was particularly reliable in third-and-long situations early in the contest.
In the first quarter, Trubisky connected with receiver Anthony Miller on a third-and-10 to pick up 19 yards and extend the team's first drive. On their next possession, Trubisky hit receiver Taylor Gabriel on the move down the left side of the field for a 22-yard pickup on a third-and-seven play. Then on the first snap of the second quarter, he connected with tight end Trey Burton on a slant route for a 26-yard gain to turn a third-and-15 into a first-down pickup.
The deep completions were a good sign of growth from Trubisky who has been inconsistent on deep attempts this season, and while signs are pointing in the right direction for the quarterback, he said he's worried only about the end result.
"For me it's not about numbers, it's about coming out and getting the win as a team," Trubisky said. "We dominated as a team, all three phases."
After picking up two defensive touchdowns by Eddie Jackson and Leonard Floyd and two rushing touchdowns from Jordan Howard, Trubisky tacked on a passing score in the fourth quarter, hitting Burton on the right side of the field in the flat for a two-yard touchdown.
It was the exclamation point in a blowout win and a potential launching point as the Bears ready for a three-game stretch of divisional games.
Trubisky said he's seen the growth, but that the team isn't getting complacent as it preps for a crucial month of November.
"We still carry ourselves with a chip on our shoulder," Trubisky said. "We're trying to earn that respect across the league, that we are a good team in all three phases, and we can play with anybody. So we're eager to prove ourselves and excited about the opportunities ahead."
