John Fox: Bears' Big Win 'Had Been Too Long Coming'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Bears' dominant 33-7 win over the Bengals on Sunday ended Chicago's five-game losing streak, and head coach John Fox acknowledged the impressive offensive showing was long overdue.
The victory just goes to show the Bears players haven't quit on the season, Fox told WBBM Newsradio's Josh Liss, despite the team's 3-9 record going into Sunday and an ugly loss to the lowly 49ers the week prior.
"Those guys always had fight, and it was just a matter of seeing those results on the field," Fox said. "To go out and watch them execute like they did, it was good to watch, and had been too long coming.
"You do enjoy those victories. Those plane flights home when you get that W are definitely a lot more joyful. It's fun to see the smiles on their faces when they've worked so hard, and then finally get the outcome."
The Bears turned in their best offensive performance of the season, racking up 482 total yards and scoring more than 30 points for the first time since Nov. 15, 2015.
It was also easily rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky's best game so far, as he completed 25 of 32 passes for 271 yards, along with a passing touchdown to a fellow rookie in tight end Adam Shaheen and a running touchdown after a nifty fake handoff to Jordan Howard. Trubisky not only showed off his ability to make accurate throws on the run on a number of bootlegs but also an improved ability to read zone defenses to find open receivers for big gains.
"It was, offensively, by far our best outing," Fox said.
The win was fueled largely by the team's young players, and not just Trubisky. Jordan Howard became the first Bears running back to start his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons by running for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Tarik Cohen added another 80 yards on the ground. Shaheen had his biggest game of the year, with four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. And receiver Kendall Wright logged season highs in receptions and yardage, with 10 catches for 107 yards.
Young players also made several big plays on defense, with cornerback Kyle Fuller continuing his impressive season by knocking down three passes and rookie safety Eddie Jackson creating two turnovers with an interception and a key strip of Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green just as he and quarterback Andy Dalton seemed to be getting in sync at the start of the fourth quarter.
Fox said he's confident Jackson could be the long-term solution at safety that has eluded the Bears for years.
"Eddie's been a turnover machine, really, for us, having in the past not gotten very many," he said. "So he's been a great addition."
You can listen to the full interview with Fox in the player at the top of the page.
Chicago(4-9) will look to carry some momentum into Week 14 when it heads into Detroit on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.