3 and out: What mattered and what didn't in Bears' win
Takeaways from the Bears' 16-6 victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday:
Three moments that mattered
1. Losing Trubisky: On the game's first drive, quarterback Mitch Trubisky escaped a collapsing pocket, ran to his left and met the Vikings' Danielle Hunter. As Hunter brought Trubisky down, the QB fell awkwardly on his left arm and fumbled. The fumble was wiped away by a defensive holding penalty, but Trubisky left the game and headed to the locker room. He did not return Sunday, ailing from what the team called a left shoulder injury.
2. Mack's sack: Coming out of halftime, Khalil Mack did what Khalil Mack does. He sacked Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and forced Cousins to fumble. Nick Williams pounced on the ball, and the Bears turned it into an Eddy Pineiro field goal, extending the lead to 13-0. It wasn't a knockout blow, but with the Vikings' offense struggling to do much, it proved to be an insurmountable lead.
3. Pineiro's kicking: Pineiro made all three of his field goal attempts, bringing his season total to eight makes on nine tries. His long this week was a 38-yard kick just before halftime. It wasn't a flashy day offensively for the Bears, but Pineiro go the job done, and the Bears picked up a divisional victory.
Three things that worked
1. Daniel delivers: Chase Daniel showed he's capable in relief of Trubisky. After the starting QB left the game on the first possession, Daniel stepped in and led the Bears down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive. At one point, he connected with Allen Robinson for a 25-yard completion. Daniel capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tarik Cohen.
2. Depth on defense: Even with defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols out with injuries, and linebacker Roquan Smith out for personal reasons, the Bears' defense was a force to be reckoned with. Williams and Roy Robertson-Harris carried more of the load with Hicks and Nichols injured. Both had sacks in the game. Mack had his strip sack on the first play after halftime. The Bears' defense held Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, the NFL's leading rusher entering Week 4, to 35 yards on 14 carries.
3. Mr. Reliable: Robinson proved again he is one of the Bears' top offensive weapons. He hauled in six passes in the first half for 73 yards and was Daniel's top option. With receiver Taylor Gabriel out with a concussion, the Bears needed a big game from Robinson and received one.
Three things that didn't
1. Trubisky's shoulder: Trubisky hardly even broke a sweat before the left shoulder injury ended his day. The injury came on the Bears' sixth play from scrimmage. Trubisky's status moving forward is unknown. It was a major setback for a quarterback coming off his best game of the season against Washington in Week 3.
2. Run blocking: Once again, the Bears didn't have much of a running game Sunday. David Montgomery worked for some hard-earned yards but never broke free for a big gain. The Bears were without offensive lineman Kyle Long (hip) and lost backup Ted Larsen (knee) during the course of the game.
3. Keeping players healthy: It's worth reiterating: The injuries are piling up. The Bears were relatively healthy during the 2018 season, and it was a big reason why they wound up 12-4. Through four weeks in 2019, the team is banged up. It was without five starters before Sunday's game even started.
What's next?
The Bears will play in London for the third time, and first since 2011, squaring off against the Oakland Raiders. Kickoff is noon Central time Sunday. The Bears last played the Raiders on Oct. 4, 2015, a 22-20 Bears win.
• Twitter: @ArthurArkush.