Staley Da Bear
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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Starting point: The Bears offense has shown vast improvement over the last three games after struggling most of the season. Asked to pinpoint a moment he could sense the unit was beginning to click, coach Matt Nagy identified Mitchell Trubisky’s 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ben Braunecker Nov. 10 in a 20-13 win over the Lions at Soldier Field.
“I think the first time that you really started feeling it is probably that touchdown pass to Ben Braunecker on the corner route against Detroit,” Nagy said. “We felt it a little bit in the Chargers game [two weeks earlier]; we just weren’t effective in the red zone. But because we won the game [over the Lions], it magnifies it a little bit more.
“And then the throw [Trubisky] made to Taylor Gabriel for a touchdown that same game. Offensively, we just kind of started putting things together and I think over time we’ve just felt like it’s just started to click. I don’t know if it’s specifically one play or not, but that’s probably my best guess.”
No worries: With the high temperature expected to be around 19 degrees Sunday in Green Bay, Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro will play in the coldest game of his young career. But special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor isn’t concerned.
“We really don’t talk about it to be honest with you,” Tabor said. “The weather is the weather. We have zero control over it. Obviously, [the ball] won’t travel as far, but he just has to go up and hit his football. I mean we went outside and kicked [Wednesday]. That was an awful cold day and he did just fine. So that was good.”
Pineiro has converted 16-of-21 field-goal attempts this season, a 76.2 percent success rate. He made 9-of-10 tries in the first six games, missed 4-of-7 including three straight during the next four contests, and has bounced back by making 4-of-4 in the last three games.
“I’m really proud of how he’s doing, I really am,” Tabor said. “At the beginning of the year I think some people maybe were surprised by how well he was doing, and then hit a little bit of a lull there and that became the story again, and he shot right out of that.
“He’s kicking the ball well. He has great confidence. This will be another challenge for him, kicking in the cold weather. I think he’s going to do great, I really do. I have no worries about him. I think he’s an awfully good football player.”