CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears waited until Week 14 for the much-maligned offense to look like what coach Matt Nagy has always envisioned.
Better late than never, I suppose.
Sunday’s home game against the depleted Houston Texans turned out to be a rout. The Bears (6-7) snapped their six-game losing streak as quarterback Mitchell Trubisky passed for 267 yards and three touchdowns (126.7 passer rating) in Chicago’s 36-7 lopsided victory.
Houston looked so pitiful that one wondered whether J.J. Watt would ask for a trade at halftime, or if Deshaun Watson would request separate transportation home.
The Bears' offense had quietly built momentum the past two weeks -- developments overshadowed by catastrophic losses to Green Bay and Houston -- but it all clicked versus the Texans.
Trubisky repeatedly did what he wanted against a porous Texans defense that surrendered an 80-yard touchdown run to David Montgomery on the Bears’ first offensive play -- Montgomery finished with 113 yards on the ground.
That set the tone for the entire afternoon. Had the officials offered to keep a running clock, the Texans likely would have accepted.
Big picture, not much changes.
The Bears remain without an NFC wild-card spot with three games left to play, although Minnesota’s loss to Tampa helps.
More importantly, the front office’s decision to pass over Watson and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes in favor of Trubisky in the 2017 NFL draft is the kind of epic blunder that carries long-lasting consequences -- and none of them good for the Bears.
A win over the soon-to-be-rebuilding Texans hardly softens the blow.
The blowout also is unlikely to prevent the inevitable shakeup that looms in January.
But for once, it was just nice to watch the Bears play a complete football game without the usual elements of self-sabotage and confusion.
Welcome back, Mack: After a couple of unproductive weeks, Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack roared back to life with a safety, forced fumble and fumble recovery versus the Texans. Mack now has 22 forced fumbles since the start of 2015, the most in the NFL over that span. In general, the Bears' defense put forth a dominant effort with seven sacks against a visibly frustrated Watson.
Mr. Automatic: Make that 18 consecutive field goals made by veteran kicker Cairo Santos, who undoubtedly has secured a semipermanent home in Chicago. The last Bears kicker to convert 18 consecutive field goal attempts was Robbie Gould back in 2006 -- the year the Bears reached Super Bowl XLI.
Model of consistency: Allen Robinson continues to push ahead with an expiring contract. Robinson (nine catches, 123 yards, one touchdown) went over 1,000 yards receiving for the second consecutive year. Robinson is just the fifth receiver in franchise history to accomplish that feat, joining Curtis Conway, Marty Booker, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Robinson could test free agency, unless the Bears apply the franchise tag, after the two sides failed earlier in the season to reach an agreement on a multiyear deal.
Troubling trend: The Bears keep picking up injuries. The latest concern is rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. Johnson had multiple shoulder procedures throughout his football career before the Bears drafted him in the second round out of Utah. Chicago already was missing starting nickel back Buster Skrine, (concussion) who was replaced in Week 14 by Duke Shelley.