Bear Down, Nerd Up: Bears' stat breakdown and other info for Week 3
Welcome back to another edition of Bear Down, Nerd Up, where we take a look at the strange stats and obscure facts that made this week unique for the Chicago Bears.
Coach Matt Nagy made the switch at quarterback from Mitch Trubisky to Nick Foles in Atlanta. The Bears erased another deficit and are 3-0 despite falling into deep holes twice and nearly blowing a big lead in the other game.
First time: According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Bears are the first team in NFL history to win two games in a single season where they trailed by at least 16 points entering the fourth quarter.
After coming back from down 17 to beat Detroit in Week 1, the Bears erased a 16-point deficit against Atlanta. Those two wins mark two of the top nine biggest comebacks in team history.
Also per Elias, the Bears became the first team to have two different quarterbacks throw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a game in the same season. Trubisky did it against the Lions, Foles against the Falcons.
The Bears are 3-0 for the first time since 2013. A win in Week 4 would make it the first 4-0 start since 2006. It also marked the Bears' first undefeated month of September since 2010.
The QBs: In NFL Next Gen Stats' quarterback analysis Foles made decisions a lot quicker than Trubisky.
It's a small sample size, but if Foles continues to play like he did Sunday, his “time to throw” ranks fifth fastest in the league. Foles released his passes on average 2.56 seconds after the snap. Trubisky ranks 30th at 2.9 seconds. That's a minuscule number, but a big difference in the world of quarterbacks.
Snap counts: Linebacker Danny Trevathan played 79% of the defensive snaps (54 snaps) against Atlanta. He played 48% (31 snaps) the week before. The Bears subbed out Trevathan for an extra defensive back in Week 2.
Inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said Trevathan is an example of finding the right amount of practice reps for a veteran, while also taking care of his body. Trevathan took frequent rest days during camp and maybe that had an effect on his performance.
DeLeone said 54 snaps is more in line with what the Bears envision for Trevathan moving forward.
Catch this: The game-winning touchdown pass from Foles to Anthony Miller had a 31.3% chance of being completed, according to Next Gen Stats. It was the 16th-toughest catch of the week in the NFL.
His game-winning catch against Detroit in Week 1 was also a top-20 catch.
Quick kick: Cordarrelle Patterson continues to work magic in the kick return. His 31.6 yards per kick return ranks third in the NFL. His 284 total kick return yards ranks first, but he has also fielded more returns than anyone with nine.