NEWSLETTER
If Mike Glennon was feeling the heat with Mitch Trubisky receiving first-team reps in practice, he responded in the best way possible.
Glennon engineered a 15-play, 96-yard touchdown drive on the team’s first possession, which got the ball rolling on a Chicago Bears 19-7 win against the Tennessee Titans. He might have sealed his spot as the team’s starter with a strong first half where he completed 11 of 18 passes for 134 yards, a touchdown, and a 102.5 rating. His best work came on the team’s opening drive when he connected on 7 of 9 passes for 84 yards.
Trubisky stumbled out of the gates, completing just 3 of 6 passes on the team’s first two drives. He eventually settled in, completing all four of his passes on the third drive. Trubisky went 4-for-4 for 68 yards, with a 45-yard touchdown to Tanner Gentry that looked quite nice:
Trubisky finished with 128 passing yards, completing 10 of 15 passes and ended with a 115.4 rating.
Not to be outdone, the Bears’ defense set the tone early and kept up the pressure throughout. A Titans offense which finished 11th in total offense, third in rushing offense, and 14th in scoring average in 2016 was stifled by an impressive showing by the Bears’ first-team defense.
The Titans didn’t score until Derrick Henry scored on a 3-yard run to start the fourth quarter, but the Bears’ top defenders were long gone by then. Vic Fangio’s defense did a number on the Tennessee offense, holding the home team scoreless through three quarters. Quarterback Marcus Mariota looked off, completing just 7 of 13 passes in the first half, while the running game couldn’t build momentum as Henry, DeMarco Murray, and the other ball carries combined to gain 32 yards on 13 carries.
Tennessee’s offense totaled just 130 yards and managed just five first downs in the first half in what was a dominating showing by the Bears defense.
Injuries were an unfortunate sidebar on Sunday, headlined by Cam Meredith’s reported ACL tear. Long snapper Patrick Scales (knee), cornerback Prince Amukamara (ankle), outside Leonard Floyd (foot), and outside linebacker Dan Skuta (concussion) were among those who left the game early.
