3 and out: Bears blow out Texans, snap six-game skid

Takeaways following the Chicago Bears' 36-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at Soldier Field, their first win since October 18:

Moments that mattered

1. The entire first half: With job statuses and playoff legitimacy in question, Matt Nagy's Bears didn't play like a team that entered Sunday with six straight losses. Trubisky threw touchdowns to three different receivers and the defense kept Deshaun Watson in check. Yes, Houston's roster is in disarray with injuries and more, but one can't ignore the effort Chicago showed.

2. On the Bears' first offensive play from scrimmage, David Montgomery ran for a career-long 80-yard touchdown. He also passed last week's total in one snap and it was his third straight game with a touchdown. It set the tone for what was to come.

3. Cairo Santos might be the most underrated move from Ryan Pace this season. He has stabilized a kicking situation that has been under heavy scrutiny since Robbie Gould's departure. Santos was 2 for 2 on field-goal attempts and hit all four extra-point tries. He's made 18 straight field goals, the first since: Gould in 2006.

Three things that worked

Eating crow: I'll admit my pre-game prediction for the Bears to only score 17 was extremely off by 3:22 until halftime. Regardless of the state of the Houston defense, Trubisky turned in perhaps his best first half as a pro, throwing just three incompletions alongside three touchdowns. Montgomery eclipsed 100 yards rushing and Robinson had eight catches. The offense set the tone and kept their foot on the gas. The result? 294 total yards and a 23-point halftime lead.

A-Rob and Cole Kmet: Robinson entered the game with 904 receiving yards and left it with 1,027. Robinson has now reached consecutive seasons with 1,000 reception yards and continues to build a legitimate case for a hefty pay raise. Kmet, meanwhile, seems to have surpassed Jimmy Graham as TE1 after his four-reception day.

Return of the Mack: Plenty of attention has justifiably been placed on Khalil Mack's lack of production over the previous four games, which included playing through a pair of injuries. In the first half, Mack forced a fumble and later sacked Watson for a safety to kickstart what had been a dormant pass rush. The pass rush totaled seven sacks on the afternoon.

Three things that didn't

Same old Bears: On their second possession of the second half, the Bears relapsed into what's been familiar to see this season. A Javon Wims' penalty to start backed them up before a Cordarrelle Patterson run produced 12 yards. Two consecutive Trubisky passes fell incomplete to force a punt. With a huge lead, it milked only 1:02 of clock. It also wasted a goal line stand by the defense.

What gives? Similar to what Hub Arkush pointed out on Twitter, the Bears didn't seem to prioritize Montgomery as a focal point down the stretch. After reaching 106 yards at the half on six carries, Montgomery finished with 113. It is strange the Bears seem to have aversions to feeding him often, particularly with a well-established lead.

Robert Quinn: While it was overall a positive afternoon for the group, Quinn had a sack all wrapped up in the first half – until he didn't. Watson somehow escaped from his grip, and the high-priced free agent addition continues to go without a sack since his only one on the season against the Giants in Week 2.

What's next

The Bears hit the road for a divisional matchup against the Minnesota Vikings with their playoff hopes still barely alive.