(670 The Score) The Bears are 3-0, and it's still not quite clear what this team is.
The Bears earned a 30-26 comeback win against the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday in a game that featured inconsistent play, a quarterback change and another fourth-quarter rally. Here are the observations from Bears-Falcons.
Foles on the spot
Why did Bears coach Matt Nagy elect to make a change at quarterback? We can look at two different throws to receiver Anthony Miller -- one from Mitchell Trubisky and the other by Nick Foles.
Late in the first half, Trubisky had Miller streaking away on a post route down the right side. Trubisky overshot him, and the Bears were forced to punt. It was the kind of misfire that Trubisky has made countless times during his four seasons in the NFL.
Nagy had seen enough of Trubisky and wasn't going to let the Bears keep missing opportunities. After an ill-advised decision by Trubisky led to an interception early in the third quarter, Foles was brought in.
Foles led the Bears on a comeback in the fourth quarter, but they were still trailing by three with two minutes remaining. Nagy then drew up a similar play call, with Miller lined up in the left slot and running a post route toward the right hashmark.
Before the Bears broke their huddle, Foles had a message for Miller.
"I'm going to throw it to the 'L,'" Foles said, referring to a letter in the end zone. "So, get to the 'L' and it'll be a pretty stiff ball. I knew just in case I didn't have time to get it off cleanly, he would be there."
Foles had the poise under pressure to put that pass right on the spot. He led Miller to the L, where he hauled in the go-ahead touchdown. Foles was knocked down in the pocket after making the pass, but he knew it was a touchdown before he even got up.
It took just more than 10 quarters of football for Nagy to realize the Bears needed Foles instead of Trubisky. Nagy has now sided with a quarterback who has made a career out of often striking on opportunities rather than missing out on them.
"He kind of has a history in these big moments of making things happen," Nagy said of Foles.
Final straw for Mitch
For all the times Nagy has defended Trubisky, he couldn't stand by him after a pivotal mistake Sunday.
Trubisky made one of the worst plays of his career early in the third quarter, and it led to the change for Foles. With 10:54 remaining in the quarter, the Bears faced a third-and-8 in their own territory. Nagy called for trips receivers stacked to the right.
The Falcons presented what looked like man coverage, but it was a disguise for zone. Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson lined up as if he was guarding Miller, but he sat back in zone coverage once the ball was snapped.
Believing he was facing man coverage, Trubisky failed to recognize the zone and threw to tight end Jimmy Graham on a crossing route. Wreh-Wilson was waiting the entire time, focusing his eyes on Trubisky's. He jumped the route for an interception.
The misread of coverage was a costly mistake, and what made it worse was that Trubisky threw well short of the first-down marker on third down.
"I didn't see the defender in front of Jimmy," Trubisky said. "We just weren't on the same page. I was trying to get him the ball going out the backside and I didn't see that defender in front of him. I just have to see in front of throws and make better decisions. Obviously I have to play better to keep my job."
What's next?
After Foles led the Bears back to a comeback win, Nagy wasn't ready to name a starting quarterback.
It certainly wasn't for a lack of evidence. Trubisky has proved over his four NFL seasons that he isn't the guy, and Foles earned the right to move forward as the starter.
But Nagy didn't get the opportunity Sunday to explain his decision to Trubisky. It was offensive coordinator Bill Lazor who informed Trubisky of the move in the third quarter.
Just as Nagy wanted to hold a personal conversation with Foles when he named Trubisky the starter early in September, he wants to sit down with Trubisky.
"These relationships we build with these guys, these players, they're strong relationships," Nagy said. "It's not easy. There's personal relationships and past relationships and that's just where we were at at that time."
Extra points
-- Bears running back Tarik Cohen is believed to have suffered a torn ACL in the win. While further examinations will be held to confirm a diagnosis, it seems the Bears will be losing a key piece to their offense for an extended period of time.
While David Montgomery and Cordarrelle Patterson have proved to be steady out of the backfield, the Bears may be active on the free-agent market this week. Keep an eye on former Chiefs running back Spencer Ware as an option for Chicago.
-- The Bears know they can be better, but nobody is hanging their heads at 3-0. "We are not afraid to fight," defensive lineman Akiem Hicks said. "We are not afraid to have our backs against the wall ... That is one of the characteristics about this team that makes us special -- we are not afraid to compete."
-- Speaking of Hicks, he was everywhere Sunday. He finished with four tackles, 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries.
-- Bears top receiver Allen Robinson had a day to bring back to the bargaining table: 10 receptions for 123 yards and an exceptional play for a touchdown.
-- With the Falons leading 26-23 late in the fourth quarter, they ran three passing plays and burnt 11 seconds off the clock before punting. Then Foles led the Bears to a go-ahead score. That was horrific play-calling by Atlanta.
-- Bears veteran safety Tashaun Gipson revealed his savvy on his interception to seal the victory, reading quarterback Matt Ryan and breaking in for the ball. It was a terrific play.
-- Credit to Trubisky for handling himself with class on Sunday -- the same way he has over four difficult seasons. He didn't have to speak with the media after being benched but did so anyway. Trubisky has been a target for criticism, like any quarterback in a major market. But he has always represented himself well.
-- The Falcons are cursed.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
