LANDOVER, Maryland (670 The Score) -- Admittedly, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky's performance in the Bears' 31-15 win over the Redskins at FedEx Field on Monday night was no breakthrough. What it seemed to be was the kind of boost that coach Matt Nagy designed and had in mind for Trubisky.
The script for the Bears to open the game saw Nagy set the 25-year-old Trubisky up with quick-strike throws on the first reads as they worked against a porous Redskins defense. In time, Trubisky found a rhythm and a belief in the offense and his own abilities.
His comfort was on display with 49 seconds remaining in the second quarter, when Trubisky avoided the pressure, stepped up to his right and launched a 36-yard touchdown strike to receiver Taylor Gabriel, who made an impressive catch near the pylon.
"I'll have to go back and watch it to see if it was actually cool or not," Trubisky said. "But it felt pretty good on the field."
The film session for Trubisky and Nagy will be much more enjoyable this week than the last two. Trubisky finished 25-of-31 for 231 yards, three touchdowns and one interception -- that coming as he got "too excited" for a one-on-one matchup for receiver Allen Robinson in the end zone and underthrew a pass in the third quarter.
While this wasn't the six-touchdown game that Trubisky produced in a win against the Buccaneers last September, it was a major step forward for a player carrying a burden on his shoulders.
Trubisky and the Bears bounced back from a slow start offensively to score three touchdowns in the second quarter, all of them on passes to Gabriel. It came as Trubisky found comfort within the designed openings from Nagy.
"It's all about confidence," Nagy said.
Trubisky needed just that.
The Bears had scuffled offensively in their first two games. The offense was averaging just 4.4 yards per play entering play Monday and barely getting by while Trubisky struggled with basic elements like processing his reads. It seemed he had taken a major step back instead of the giant leap forward that the Bears are hoping for in his third season.
With that, the scrutiny grew. Trubisky always does his best to block out the noise -- both bad and good -- but it was clear his head wasn't where it needed to be.
What Trubisky needed from Monday was to be efficient within the structure provided by Nagy. He was, and the Bears (2-1) celebrated a victory knowing there's more work to be done.
"We're still growing and evolving as an offense," Trubisky said. "I don't know if I'd call it a breakthrough yet. We gotta keep getting better and keep growing."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
