Short post. Thanksgiving hangover. Rapid fire.

• Forget the stats, yesterday was Mitch Trubisky’s finest game. Made early mistakes. Got physically beat up. Refused to run for easy first downs. But he put the Bears on his back late and won the football game. It doesn’t change his career trajectory. But it’s a day he needed.
• When Roquan Smith plays that way, he looks like the best linebacker in the league.
• It would probably go to someone on the defense but Cordarrelle Patterson should get serious consideration for team MVP.
• Kyle Fuller. Tackle of the year.
• Nick Kwiatkoski. Most improved on defense. Pay him.
• Taylor Gabriel should go on IR by Monday. Anthony Miller should never leave the field.
• Did Jerome Boger’s crew have a block in the back quota to hit? Just let the football happen!

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It’s rather pointless to write these breakdowns every week. The Bears have a terrific defense and an abysmal offense. That’s what they’ve shown for two and a half months. That’s what they’ll show the next month and a half. Nevertheless, here are some thoughts heading into Thanksgiving.

• Bears defense is 4th in both yards and points allowed per game. Lions are 29th in yards allowed and 25th in points allowed. This is once again a monumental mismatch of defensive units and would lead one to assume, especially with the nightmare that is the Chicago offense, it’s going to a slow, boring, low-scoring game. (But a good opportunity to chat with some family members?)
• Here is the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett on Jeff Driskel’s performance (Grade: F) against the Redskins Sunday: “Jeff Driskel had his worst start as a Lion on Sunday. He ran for 63 yards on nine carries and kept several drives alive with his feet, but he also threw three interceptions and should have thrown a fourth. Driskel badly underthrew Marvin Jones on a interception with 48 seconds to play that set up Washington’s game-winning field goal and nearly threw a pick-six one play earlier. He did have 207 yards passing and a touchdown, but he didn’t see a wide-open Kenny Golladay on the goal line on third-and-4 when the Lions had to settle for a second-quarter field goal and he missed an open Jones in the end zone on a deep shot in the third quarter.”
  • Driskel is playing, per Chucky P.
• Can the Bears convince themselves they are still in a playoff fight? No. But it’s unlikely even the Thanksgiving showcase will be enough to motivate this Lions team. (There were even rumors on CBS from Jason LaCanfora – who is unreliable at best – that the Ford family might consider making major changes should the team no show this game with the Bears.) While many of us in Bearsland are bemoaning this disappointing season, Thursday could be one of those truly awful days for a Lions fan base that has experienced their share.
• Mitch Trubisky’s numbers (under Matt Nagy) vs. Matt Patricia’s Lions defenses: 39-53, 528 yards, 6 TDs and a passer rating around 140. He’s played his best football against this opponent, although both of those performances were at home. (Chase Daniel started at Detroit last year.)
• One sneaky stat line for the Bears. They are second in average punt return yardage and third in average kickoff return yardage. They’re the best return team in the league. And that might have a massive impact Thursday.

Chicago Bears 23, Detroit Lions 16

Travel day for me. (Buffalo rocks.) So here are some quick thoughts on a tedious, boring win over the Giants.

• Trubisky has started using his legs and he looks like a different player when he does. Why this element of his game was absent for so long no one knows. But if Mitch is planning to save his career over the next two months, his legs are going to be a big part of it.
• Ben Braunecker’s drop was terrible. But the Bears got the first down on the following play. This game would have been a blowout – 20+ points – if Trubisky’s decision making were better.
• Even the touchdown pass to Robinson was not a good throw. It was behind the receiver. Mitch has the physical tools to play QB in the league. But right now he lacks the guts to play the position well.
• Khalil Mack tormented Nate Solder.
• You thought the Bears had a bad kicker?
• Nick Kwiatkoski couldn’t play in coverage last season. That ain’t the case anymore. Kwik is now a well-rounded player that’s going to get money to be a starter this off-season. That money should come from Ryan Pace. Keep your own.

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“The roni cup, also known as “cup and char” pepperoni, has long been a hallmark of pizza in Buffalo…”

“In Buffalo”

by J. Hughes

While you’re watching Chicago play offense (I think),

I’ll be in Buffalo, at the Old Pink.

While the quarterbacks (plural) are doing their thing

I’ll be in Buffalo, having a wing.

You’ll get to see defense, Chicago does that,

But I’ll be in Buffalo, drinkin’ Labatt.

Maybe you’ll watch from your fav-o-rite bar?

I’ll be in Buffalo, for the cup and the char.

What happens from here, not sure anyone cares.

The title won’t be ours, it will always be theirs.

I’ll still be in Buffalo,

Yes even in Buffalo,

I’ll be in Buffalo, watching the Bears.

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I always like the Chicago Bears…

…and if they don’t win this game Sunday, they could lose the remaining games on their schedule. They won’t be a bigger favorite the rest of the season. (And the line was set at 6.5 without a quarterback announcement. This means Vegas – who are quite good at this – see no difference between Trubisky and Daniel.)

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I. No Interest in Rebuilding (And No Need)

It’s very easy to get down on an organization when they fail to meet lofty expectations. And expectations could not have been loftier in 2019. (Believe me, I know.)

But fans, and to a lesser extent the media, have to understand the present circumstances. The Bears are playing zero offense not because they lack talent on their roster but because their quarterback can’t play. He can’t run the system. The Bears have essentially sacrificed 2019 for the sake of “developing” their young QB because what other option did they have? The whole of the offensive structure was built around Trubisky. And he failed to deliver.

Allen Robinson can play. Tarik Cohen can play. David Montgomery can play. This offensive line can block this system. Put a veteran quarterback in this lineup and the offense will at least run. Open receivers will be hit. Correct protections will be called. Combine that with a top ten defense and the 2020 Bears are looking at a ten-win season.

II. 4th in Points Allowed With Limited Mack Production

The Bears are one of the best defenses in the league. And that is happening with opponents essentially neutralizing Khalil Mack, their best defender. (They will certainly be looking to add an edge opposite Mack this off-season, as Leonard Floyd has become far more productive as a cover man than a quarterback harasser.) When the Bears start scoring more points, their opponents will be forced into more must-throw scenarios and that is when a player like Mack thrives.

And while the popular belief is Akiem Hicks may never be at full strength again, I’m hearing the Bears expect a full recovery in 2020. Hicks is the team’s second most-feared defender and pass rusher. His absence has made scheming Mack to death possible.

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There can be no argument that any element of an offense as bad this Bears’ offense is performing to an acceptable level. Not the play caller. Not the offensive line. Not the skill guys. Nobody. But as this space has reported for the last several weeks, one can not adequately evaluate this offense because what’s being run is not Matt Nagy’s offense. What’s being run is a dialed-back, remedial version of the offense that the overwhelmed quarterback can supposedly “handle”.

And now it’s clear he can’t even handle that.

What took place Sunday night in Los Angeles was the culmination of months and months of frustration from the head coach. Call it a benching or don’t. That’s up to you. But Mitch Trubisky was healthy enough to finish the football game and Matt Nagy did not want him to do so. The reasons are many.

The calls at the line are consistently wrong.

The protections are consistently wrong.

The decisions by the quarterback with the football are consistently wrong.

Said a source within the organization to DBB Monday morning, “They are down to the bare bones. I’d be surprised if they are running 25% of the playbook.”

Think about that for a moment. For years, Matt Nagy has developed the offense he would run in the NFL when he finally had his own team, his own chance. For two years, he’s been installing that plan. And ten games into his second season, he’s been forced to throw three quarters of that plan into the trash because the man they thought was a franchise quarterback can’t run it.

When Matt Nagy met directly with ownership, he made it clear to them he was going to do anything and everything to try and salvage Mitch Trubisky. It’s hard to imagine that will remain his mindset much longer.