JOY OF SIX
Trubisky’s recordsetting touchdown performance should quiet critics
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky wasn’t the only Bears player to have a breakout game Sunday against the Buccaneers. Coach Matt Nagy unleashed his ultimate weapon — running back Tarik Cohen — in a 48-10 rout at Soldier Field.
Cohen set career highs with 20 touches and 174 yards from scrimmage.
‘‘It felt good to keep getting the ball,’’ Cohen said. ‘‘[Nagy] was moving me around, getting me into the slot and still in the backfield, where my home is and it’s safe. It’s just great when it comes together like that.’’
Cohen was particularly effective running routes out of the backfield. Among those was a nine-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter in which he raced past linebacker Lavonte David over the middle. He also made a 28-yard reception on a wheel route to the Bucs’ 3 in the third quarter.
‘‘It’s [Trubisky’s] trust factor with me on that wheel route because I got jammed up a little bit,’’ Cohen said. ‘‘For him to just stay with me, it just shows that he trusts me and that he trusts his arm to still make an incredible throw and get the ball right there to me.’’
It was the type of performance expected from Cohen in Nagy’s multifaceted offense. Cohen’s skills allow Nagy to use him all over the field. He had 13 carries for 53 yards and seven catches for 121 yards. Running back Jordan Howard, on the other hand, had 11 carries for 25 yards.
‘‘[Cohen’s] pretty good,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘That’s part of it. He’s a good football player. We have a lot of good football players on our team. He’s dynamic. He can do a lot of different things. Mentally, he can handle a lot.’’
Rotating
Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand rewarded rookie guard James Daniels, the 39th overall pick in April, with some playing time against the Bucs.
‘‘Coach Harry told me at the beginning of the week that if I had a good week of practice, we would split reps in the game,’’ Daniels said.
That’s what happened. Daniels rotated with veteran Eric Kush, who has started all four games this season at left guard. It was the first time Daniels played with the starting offense this season.
‘‘Every day I go to practice, I just try to think about getting better and better,’’ Daniels said. ‘‘I just feel like over the past couple of weeks, I have been improving. When I improve every day, I know I can help the team win.’’
This and that
With Prince Amukamara out with a hamstring injury, undrafted rookie cornerback Kevin Toliver made his first career start. He led Bears with seven tackles and was called for pass interference in the third quarter.
♦ Outside linebacker Sam Acho suffered a chest injury in the second quarter and didn’t return.