CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- The Bears produced another uneven and unsatisfying victory Sunday, beating the Giants 17-13 at Soldier Field.
Now a 2-0 team, the Bears haven't inspired any confidence in what's to come this season. Here are my Bears-Giants observations from a fan-less home opener at Soldier Field.
What lies ahead?
After two inconsistent performances to open the season, where do the Bears go from here?
Coach Matt Nagy tried to be reasonable about his team's struggles, saying the Bears are "just OK" through two games. That might be a bit generous, but there's also reason to believe it could get better.
The biggest change for the Bears from 2019 to the present is Nagy's willingness to run the football and create offensive balance. Both when the Bears were down 17 to the Lions in their season opener and up 17 on the Giants in the second half Sunday, Nagy continued to seek balance. Nagy and the Bears are committed to this as their offensive identity, something that has been lacking since late in the 2018 season. At the least, it's a foundation to build on for offensive improvement.
Meanwhile, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has shown more positives than negatives -- albeit against two weak defenses -- and kept backup Nick Foles comfortably on the bench for the time being.
Trubisky threw two touchdown passes Sunday that were the product of keeping a play alive and improvising, something he has struggled to do in the past. He should've had another touchdown pass on a throw to receiver Anthony Miller in the first quarter. It was one of Trubisky's best passes in a Bears uniform, but Miller dropped it.
Trubisky threw two interceptions. One was on a poor throw, and both had some poor fortune involved.
The next step for Nagy, Trubisky and the Bears will be sustaining drives better. The offense was 7-of-10 on third-down conversions in the first half and just 2-of-6 in the second half. Without sustained drives on the offensive side, the Bears' defense was exhausted by the end of the game and struggling to get a stop. Chicago's defense defended 42 plays in the second half, including 34 in the fourth quarter.
A more complete effort for the Bears starts with long drives and touchdowns. It's fairly simple, something Nagy knows. If that can change, the Bears will earn more satisfying victories ahead.
Money Mooney
Just two games into his NFL career, Bears rookie receiver Darnell Mooney has become a key piece in the team's offense. Mooney played in 60% of the Bears' offensive plays Sunday, trailing only top receiver Allen Robinson and tight end Jimmy Graham for snaps among skill players.
Mooney's presence led to 14-year veteran receiver Ted Ginn Jr. being a healthy inactive and pushed Miller out of his usual role, with Miller playing just 26 snaps.
The emergence of Mooney has been one of the Bears' better success stories since the team began camp in August. A fifth-round pick out of Tulane, Mooney flashed great skill in college but came with concerns about his route running and fundamentals. Those have proved to be strengths of Mooney's, and the Bears have put plenty of faith in him.
In the second quarter, Mooney also showcased great instincts on his first career touchdown, recognizing Trubisky had bought himself time and stepping forward from the corner of the end zone to beat his defender for a tough catch.
For good measure, Mooney went back to the official to collect the football after handing it over in the end zone.
Diminished role for Danny T?
Since he joined the Bears in 2016, linebacker Danny Trevathan has been a rock. But it seems his role could be changing.
The 30-year-old Trevathan played on just 31 defensive snaps Sunday, marking only 48% of the unit's workload. The Bears instead elected to play with three safeties more frequently, with Deon Bush playing 25 snaps (38%).
Trevathan seemed to struggle in Chicago's opener at Detroit, one in which he worked 90% of the defensive snaps. It remains to be seen whether Trevathan's reduced role will be a regular occurrence or just part of an adjusted personnel package.
Who's hungry?
A couple uneven performances didn't get Hicks down.
"2-0 is delicious," Hicks said. "I'll eat that every day of the week and twice on Sundays."
Extra points
-- It could've been a different game if Robinson didn't haul in a 17-yard catch in traffic on third-and-5 on the opening drive. Instead of a three-and-out, the Bears drove for an opening touchdown.
-- After missing the season opener, edge rusher Robert Quinn made quite the entrance. He opened his Bears career with a strip-sack of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Credit also goes to fellow edge rusher Khalil Mack and Hicks for creating pressure on the other side of the pocket, which forced Jones to hesitate and hold the ball long enough for Quinn to get home.
-- Miller has to make that catch in the end zone. As Nagy said, "He dropped an absolute dime on that throw." It wasn't clear if Nagy was referring to Trubisky dropping a dime of a throw or Miller dropping the dime itself, but both are true.
-- Running back David Montgomery's neck injury in the second quarter appeared to be horrifying at first glance. It wasn't only wonderful to see him return for the second half but also produce the way he did.
-- Bears safety Eddie Jackson can expect a fine coming his way after taking to Twitter and expressing his displeasure with a pass interference call that negated his pick-six in the fourth quarter. Jackson wrote, "Worst Call I Ever Seen Ref Had The Nerves To Say His Bad...smh." He added, "How do we hold refs accountable when they make calls like that."
-- Offensive tackle Bobby Massie had more receptions that Miller.
-- A fan-less Soldier Field sucked. Here's hoping for a semblance of normalcy soon enough.
-- A bad 2-0 is better than a good 0-2.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.