NEWSLETTER
It would be easy to forget the Mike Glennon Era got underway today after watching Mitch Trubisky play.
The rookie quarterback from North Carolina stole the show, completing 18 of 25 passes (72%) for 166 yards, a touchdown, and a quarterback rating of 103.1 in his professional debut. After falling behind 10-0, the Chicago Bears called on Trubisky to lead the two-minute drill to end the first half and he didn’t disappoint. Trubisky completed all four of his pass attempts, completing the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz. It was the first of three scoring drives led by Trubisky, whose unit rattled off 17 unanswered points to take a 17-10 lead.
All is well that ends well for the Bears, even if the final score shows the Denver Broncos won the game 24-17. Denver scored 14 points in the final 6:01 to snatch a preseason victory. The Broncos put up touchdowns on a 3rd-and-17 pass that went for 47 yards from Kyle Sloter to Isaiah McKenzie and a 41-yard run by De’Angelo Henderson on 3rd-and-22.
It all set up for what could have been a dramatic ending, but Trubisky and the Bears ran out of time as an ineligible man downfield penalty on the game’s final play ended the contest.
Trubisky wasn’t the only brightspot that on display for the Bears. Vic Fangio’s defense earned a round of applause for their efforts, holding Denver’s offense to just a field goal in the first three quarters. Neither starter Trevor Siemian or the team’s 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch were able to lead the Broncos to a touchdown drive.
The Bears’ defense was at its best in the first half, allowing a total of 94 yards, while thwarting many of the Broncos’ drives. Denver was 1-for-6 on third-down conversion attempts against Chicago’s first two defensive units. Leonard Floyd picked up a sack, a tackle-for-loss, and a QB hit in his brief appearance to lead the way.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows at Soldier Field. Lost in the Trubisky-related madness was Glennon’s struggles against the Broncos and their first-team defense. Glennon’s second pass with the Bears was returned for a pick-six that opened the scoring. When it was all said and done, Glennon finished with 20 passing yards after completing just 2 of 8 passes – which resulted in a 0.0 quarterback rating. Ouch, babe.
At least we know he has something to work on before the Bears return to action on August 19 when the team travels out west to face the Arizona Cardinals.
