After the Bears' Week 1 loss against the Packers, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky stood at a podium at Lambeau Field and faced questions. On Thursday, with more time to reflect, he did it again at Halas Hall.
In the hours and days following the team's first game, Trubisky was forced again and again to answer questions with words.
On Monday night in the Bears home opener against the Seahawks, he got the chance to respond with action, and the second-year quarterback wasted no time.
On the Bears' first drive, Trubisky delivered strike after strike, putting together a 10-play, 96-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown en route to a 24-17 win over Seattle.
First, on a second-and-10 play, he linked up with receiver Allen Robinson II across the middle for six yards. On the next play, Trubisky found Robinson again, this time in the slot for a first down. Later in the drive, Trubisky delivered a dart to receiver Taylor Gabriel for a nine-yard gain. On the next play the quarterback snuck a throw past a Seattle defender to connect with running back Jordan Howard to put the Bears at the Seahawks six-yard line. Two snaps later, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft executed a well drawn-up option play, shoveling a shovel pass to tight end Trey Burton for the early score.
Ten plays. Six completions. Seven points. Lots of answers.
Trubisky attributed the fast start out of the gate to a new mentality focused on staying relaxed.
"Just let loose, play free," Trubisky said about his different mindset. "My teammates and coaches had my back all week. Just try not to put too much pressure on myself and just go out there and enjoy it with the guys, and that's what I did tonight."
Despite the first score being the end result of a series in which Trubisky threw for 50 yards in the air and rushed for 17, the former North Carolina standout credited the final play to a culmination of everybody doing the right thing.
"Great design by coach and the staff," Trubisky said. "Great call down in the red zone, and everyone did their job. [Offensive] line moved the guys up front, and Trey just caught the ball and found the seam and that's exactly what it's built for, so we just got to keep building off that."
Perhaps the most impressive sign from Trubisky was how he bounced back after adversity later in the game. After an impressive opening drive, the Bears' third and fourth series ended with interceptions.
After the Bears defense forced a three-and-out early in the second quarter, Trubisky tried to take advantage of good field position and hit Robinson on a deep ball down the right sideline. The pass came up short, and Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin intercepted it.
Trubisky, who is his own harshest critic, owned the mistake after the game but stressed the importance of not harping on the mistake.
"Just threw it a little short and that's something that I'm just trying to move on from," Trubisky said. "It is what it is."
In the fourth quarter, with the Bears marching down field, Trubisky's short-memory, move-forward attitude paid off.
Desperate to finish off an 11-play drive that started with more than five minutes left in the third quarter, Trubisky took a first-and-goal snap, rolled left on a play-action bootleg play and found receiver Anthony Miller open in the end zone.
"Anthony ran a fantastic route," Trubisky said. "He made a great catch, so I just put it where it had to be. When you have all 11 guys on the same page, that's what happens within this offense."
The touchdown helped cap off a night in which Trubisky completed 25 of 34 passes for 200 yards. More importantly, though, it helped secure the Bears' first victory of the season.
"Feels amazing to win," Trubisky said. "This is what this game's all about. Last week didn't go our way, this week, we pulled together as a team and we got it done. There's always going to be stuff we've got to improve on, and we know that, but you've got to enjoy these W's, and we definitely did."
