Three Keys To The Game: Bears Vs. Redskins

By CBS's Matt Zahn

Will this finally be the breakout game for Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears offense? It better be, as they get set to face what's been one of the worst defenses in the league to start the season..

Here's three things to watch for in the Bear's Monday night's game in Washington.

Trubisky Improvement?

Only the historically-awful Dolphins have scored fewer points than the Bears this year. And despite Matt Nagy begging us to blame everyone else, most of it falls on Trubisky.

Look for Nagy to do everything he can to get his third year quarterback going against the Redskins. As bad as the Bears have been on offense, Washington has been almost as bad on defense, so Trubisky should have more open receivers to throw to this week.

Honestly, after going back over the coaches film from last week's game against Denver, Trubisky didn't really have a lot of open guys that he was missing. I actually thought he played better than he did in week 1.

Assuming the Bears receivers can do a better job getting open against a weak Washington defense, perhaps Trubisky can have his breakout game. Or at least throw a touchdown pass.

It seems like forever ago now, but the Bears were actually 9th in the NFL in scoring last year. As Trubisky said over and over this week, you've got to believe things will get better.

Bears Defense Faces Tough Task

On the other side, the defense hasn't missed a beat transitioning from Coordinator Vic Fangio to Chuck Pagano.

The test this week may be a little tougher than you'd think. Washington is 0-2, but their offense has been pretty good against two quality teams.

They've scored 27 and 21 facing Philadelphia and then Dallas. They've been especially good protecting quarterback Case Keenum. The Redskins offensive line has only allowed two sacks, so maybe Khalil Mack and company will have a tougher time getting after the QB than they have had the first two weeks.

Watch Out For Rookie Receiver

Speaking of the Redskins offense, watch out for Terry McLaurin. If you don't play fantasy football, you may not have heard of him. But, in two games this season, the rookie wide receiver has 10 catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns and will be a challenge for Kyle Fuller and company.

Even still, this is a very winnable game for the Bears, especially if they still have high hopes for this season. A loss this week or another bad performance by the offense and it might be time to push the panic button.