Takeaways aplenty for Bears in win over Washington

LANDOVER, Md. - Breaking down the Bears' 31-15 win over Washington:

Three moments that mattered:

It was an incredible catch, but the 36-yard touchdown throw to Taylor Gabriel to culminate a 21-point second quarter onslaught might have been Mitch Trubisky's best as a pro. He masterfully evaded pressure, climbed the pocket and fired while on the move to his right. The type of throw that keeps Bears fans believing in their up-and-down young passer, who finished 25-for-31 with 3 touchdowns and 231 yards to at least temporarily quiet his critics.

After leading the NFL in defensive touchdowns a season ago, the Bears' first of 2019 was fitting on a few different levels. It was supplied by new S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who capitalized with the 37-yard pick-six - the first touchdown of his career, against his former team. And at the time, early in the first quarter, it gave the Bears as many touchdowns on the season from their dominant defense as their sloppy offense. Clinton-Dix later tallied another pick in the end zone. #Revengegame, indeed.

Trubisky hitting Anthony Miller in stride on a third-and-2 crosser for 15 yards to set up the Bears' first touchdown will only show up in the box score as a chain-mover against the NFL's worst third-down 'D.' But it just might have awakened two of the Bears' most important players.

Three things that worked:

1. Recalibrated play-calling: Matt Nagy opened with tempo. He committed to moving pockets, giving Trubisky more accessible, comfortable opportunities to make plays. Run pass imbalance or not, Nagy schemed receivers open (check out Gabriel's first TD) and took pressure off Mitch under an intense spotlight without taking the ball out of his hands.

2. Caught stealing: They come in bunches, yes? Well, how does a quintet of takeaways sound (3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries)? After entering Monday with only one in their first two games, the NFL's most opportunistic 'D' from a year ago suddenly is tied for sixth in the league, with more Monday than it had in any single game last season.

3. Taylor Gabriel: Don't call him solely a deep threat. Gabriel tallied three touchdowns - 3-, 1- and 36-yard grabs - the last of which was a remarkable toe-tapping effort in the corner of the end zone that was overturned by replay. It was one of his best NFL games, albeit ending abruptly after he suffered a concussion.

Three things that didn't:

1. Avoiding penalties: The Bears were among the NFL's more disciplined teams last season but have been the exact opposite through three games, committing 27 penalties, including 8 for 55 yards Monday, two of them negating takeaways. Prince Amukamara and Khalil Mack were two of the bigger culprits.

2. Keeping foot on gas: Washington made it interesting in the second half, trimming a 25-point deficit at one point to 13. An underthrown interception by Trubisky in the end zone, a missed (and arguably ill-advised try) 44-yard FG from a hobbled Eddy Pineiro and a few soft coverages in the secondary contributed to the letdown.

3. Staying healthy: Pineiro appeared very gimpy coming on and off the field after fighting through a knee injury sustained mid-week and missed his first career field goal. Akiem Hicks (knee) and Gabriel (concussion) exited early and didn't return, further thinning already-depleted spots.

What's next:

Now 2-1, the Bears return home to host the 2-1 Vikings in an early showdown in the NFL's most competitive division. The Bears in 2018 swept the season series for the first time in seven years, keeping their rivals out of the playoffs.

• Twitter: @ArthurArkush.