Mitchell Trubisky threw for 166 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough as the Chicago Bears fell to the Denver Broncos 24-17 in their preseason opener.
Mike Glennon struggled in his first Bears action, going 2-for-8 for 20 yards and an interception in the game. Benny Cunningham led all rushers for the Bears with 41 yards and a touchdown.
Glennon got an early opportunity to showcase his skills for Bears fans, but on his second throw of the night, the quarterback threw into coverage and was intercepted by Chris Harris. The Broncos' defensive back scrambled all the way to the end zone, giving the Broncos an early 7-0 lead.
Fortunately for the Bears, their defense came to play early, with Leonard Floyd registering his first sack of the preseason in the process. They did allow the Broncos to make a few good plays, but they held firm when they needed to, holding Denver to a field goal that made it 10-0 about halfway through the first quarter.
That score ended up holding until Trubisky came into the game, and the rookie quarterback quickly went to work as he reeled off a 50-yard drive in the closing minutes of the half. On the run, he fired a two-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz to get the Bears on the board just before halftime.
The Trubisky momentum continued into the third quarter, and the Bears took the lead as a result. Cunningham capped off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run right up the gut, and the Bears seized a 14-10 lead with about five and a half minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Bears added onto their lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter thanks to a short field goal from Connor Barth, but the Broncos made some big third down plays to get back into the contest. On third and long near midfield, Isaiah McKenzie got wide open behind the Bears' secondary and hauled in a touchdown pass from Kyle Sloter to tie things up at 17-17.
Local
With less than two minutes to go, the Broncos faced a third-and-22 from the 41-yard line, and they improbably converted again to take the lead. This time it was DeAngelo Henderson doing the honors, taking a draw play all the way to the end zone to give the Broncos a seven point lead.
Trubisky tried to tie things up, but he was unable to in the closing seconds. His pass to Deonte Thompson as time expired finished off the game, sending the Bears to defeat.
The Bears will look to get a win on the board next week when they take on the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale.
