CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chase Daniel threw for 195 yards and a touchdown after Mitchell Trubisky got knocked out of the game with a left shoulder injury on the opening possession, and the Chicago Bears swarmed NFL rushing leader Dalvin Cook in a 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The defending NFC North champions avoided an 0-2 start at Soldier Field and another home loss to a division rival to go with the one they suffered against Green Bay in the NFL's 100th season opener. But they lost their quarterback soon after the opening kickoff.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Trubisky was scrambling when Danielle Hunter dragged him down. The quarterback's non-throwing arm got pinned awkwardly under his body as the ball popped out. Minnesota made the recovery, but a holding penalty against Anthony Harris negated the play.
Trubisky headed to the sideline and walked to the locker room a few minutes later.
Daniel came on and connected with Tarik Cohen on a 10-yard touchdown to complete a 14-play drive. The 10th-year pro completed 22 of 30 passes.
Allen Robinson had seven catches for 77 yards. Nick Williams had two sacks. Khalil Mack and Roy Robertson-Harris each had 1 1/2.
The Bears (3-1) held Cook to 35 yards on 14 attempts after he ran for at least 110 in the first three games, even though Akiem Hicks (knee) and linebacker Roquan Smith (personal reasons) missed the game. The Monsters of the Midway also held a big edge in time of possession (35:27 to 24:33) on the way to their third straight win.
WBBM Newsradio's Josh Liss spoke with Bears coach Matt Nagy on Monday morning following the Bear's win over the Vikings.
WBBM: Daniel fills in capably, coming in early for an injured Mitch Trubisky; and along with a familiar dose of defense, the Bears beat back division rivals Minnesota 16-6. The coach, Matt Nagy joins us...Can't imagine how you feel after such an exhilarating day that started with, I'd say, how pained were you to see Mitchell go down and then pleased to see your system and process in place well enough to plug in Chase and earn the win?
"Yeah that's a good way to put it. You hate to see that happen six plays into the game with Mitch, but we have depth on this roster and having Chase here as a backup is really big for us," Nagy said. "He came in and just ran the offense really efficiently and did what he was supposed to do and helped us get the win."
WBBM: Yeah here you are win Trubisky's non-throwing shoulder due for more medical attention - not considered season-ending at this point from what we gather, but what else do we know about Mitch's status and the process he will be going through here on this short week?
"Yeah no change from yesterday, we will just have to wait and see, get some more results here in the next 24-48 hours and just see where we are at with him," Nagy said. "We will be prepared both ways, we will have a plan ready for either one, and we hope he's good."
WBBM: How have you become to be so comfortable with Chase, as your starter, and it sounds like he's likely going to be your starting quarterback at practice, just before leaving for London?
"Well the nice this is, Chase and I have been together for three to four years in Kansas City, so I know Chase really well. We know each other well, and that's why he is here for times like this, so we will see where it goes and everything; but yesterday was a pure example as to why you want a guy like Chase Daniel on your team," Nagy said.
WBBM: Flip it to the other side, six more sacs, two fumble recovers sure stand out holding Dalvin Cook to just 35 yards rushing. How are you spreading credit for the defense's latest smash performance?
"Well you want to talk about a dominant performance, those guys on defense...everyone on defense just stepped their game up and they all came to play, and it was a big challenge against one of the top two or three rush-offenses in the league. And they stepped up and made plays and so, when you can shut down a run and make a team more one dimensional and make them throw the ball when they want to run more, that's a benefit to us and that's what our guys did yesterday," Nagy said. "So many guys stepped up and it was a fun win and I am really proud of them."
WBBM: I bet. Roquan Smith out for personal reasons yesterday. Are we going to see him out on the field in London?
"We'll see, we are still working through all of that. We'll see where that goes," Nagy said.
WBBM: Got it. Eddy Pineiro doing his job once again. It's kind of nice when Eddy is not making headlines it seems like.
"Yeah there's no doubt. He's been a really good story for us this year. He's made some big kicks and he's felled through a little bit of pain the last couple weeks, but when he is going out there, he is making his field goals. Yesterday was a game where you want to get points as much as you can and play some field position. It's just one of those games, and when he was given opportunities, he made the most of it," Nagy said.
WBBM: What are you looking forward to about London?
"Well you know, just making sure we understand it's a business trip. I know after this past week, our guys - they will get that. We have a good group of guys, so the only thing that matters is getting that win. So we want to go over there and just play our game. We know we are playing a quality opponent in Oakland," Nagy said.
The Bears take on the Oakland Raiders in London on Sunday at noon for Week 5.
Listen weekly for more from the Bears Coaches Show at 7 p.m. on Mondays.
