Rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky took another key step in his development Sunday at Soldier Field, engineering a late drive that put the Bears in position to force overtime.
Connor Barth ultimately missed a 46-yard field goal attempt with :03 remaining that would have tied the score, but not until Trubisky had led the offense to the Detroit 28.
On his final two snaps, the first-round draft pick from North Carolina scrambled for 19 yards on fourth-and-13 and completed a 15-yard pass to receiver Dontrelle Inman.
"Just his poise and sense of urgency, at the end of the game to have the wherewithal to make the throws he's making," said right guard Kyle Long. "Obviously it's not all perfect—he's a young quarterback in the league—but he has the confidence and trust of the guys around him, and that's a rare thing in this league to have."
Trubisky completed 18 of 30 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown and an 88.1 passer rating while being sacked only once. He also rushed for 53 yards on six carries.
Get an insider's look at a Bears game day with these behind-the-scenes photos and angles that the TV cameras didn't capture at Soldier Field.
"I think he's made progress every week," said coach John Fox. "I don't know what his QBR was this week or if you put stock in that, but I thought he got better today. We opened it up.
"When you really think about it, it's pretty impressive because he's had under 10 games as a starter in the National Football League and just over 20 games as a starter since high school. He's done a great job and will continue to get better."
Key injury: Outside linebacker Leonard Floyd was carted off the field early in the fourth quarter with what Fox said "looks like a really serious knee injury."
Floyd was hurt after being hit by teammate Kyle Fuller, who was trying to tackle running back Theo Riddick. Fuller suffered a wrist injury on the play, but returned to the game.
Asked about the severity of Floyd's injury, Fox said: "I hate to speculate, but usually when you get taken out on a cart, it's not great. We'll evaluate it. I'll talk to our docs more today and tonight and we will continue to evaluate tomorrow. We'll keep you posted."
Receiver Joshua Bellamy also exited Sunday's game after suffering a concussion.
Another miss: With his late miss, Barth has now made 11-of-16 field-goal attempts this season.
Asked about his level of faith in the veteran kicker, Fox said: "It's like everything. We are a production-based business. That's what we get paid to do, whether it is winning games as a head coach or whether it's making kicks as a kicker. We will evaluate it. Like I said, every time we go out there, we will do everything we can to put the best team we can out there."
Roster notes: Long started at right guard Sunday, with Cody Whitehair returning to center. … Linebacker Danny Trevathan (calf), guard/tackle Tom Compton (ankle), cornerback Bryce Callahan (knee) and tight end Dion Sims (illness) did not play Sunday. Quarterback Mark Sanchez, running back Taquan Mizzell and nose tackle John Jenkins were also inactive.
Briefly: The Bears led by double digits after the first quarter Sunday (10-0) for the first time since Nov. 27, 2014 when they led the Lions 14-3 on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field. In both cases, Detroit scored 21 points in the second period en route to a comeback victory. … The Bears offense scored two touchdowns on three possessions in the first half Sunday after mustering just two TDs on its previous 39 drives dating back to an Oct. 15 overtime win over the Ravens.
