Wiederer: Proceed with caution. Too many recent Bears seasons have circled the drain after a series of injuries to key starters. Mack, who never has missed a game in his NFL career, can’t become the next name added to the list. The Bears find themselves in a delicate spot. They’re coming up on a pair of winnable games that could position them well for the season’s second half. And yet they have to understand Mack’s long-term worth and not put him in a position to where he either a) aggravates his injury; or b) plays ineffectively on a significantly sore ankle for a month or longer. There are no easy answers here.

Kane: Find a way to get their other pass rushers going as he recovers. Without sitting in on Mack’s sessions with doctors and trainers, I don’t believe an outsider can make the call whether he should sit a game or two or keep playing through the injury. Perhaps they will use the next two weeks against the struggling Jets and Bills as a window to at least use Mack more selectively so he can heal for a stretch of big NFC North games. But even if he plays at less than 100 percent, the Bears need more from others, particularly Leonard Floyd, who still hasn’t recorded a sack this year. His broken hand is getting better, and it’s time to step up.

Campbell: Strongly, seriously consider holding him out of the Jets game. They might have to handcuff Mack to the bench to keep him off the field, considering he never has missed a game. But if we’re being real, the Jets offense isn’t better than the Bears defense even if Mack is subtracted from it. Beyond Sunday’s game and the trip to Buffalo to play the Bills, the Bears play three divisional games in a span of 11 days. His effectiveness in those games against the Lions, Vikings and Lions again should be the top priority.

Biggs: Be smart. More has been made about Mack’s right ankle issue than is necessary. I say that while fully understanding his value to the team and the defense. Mack suffered the injury in Miami and not only did he finish the game, he missed very little time against the Dolphins. While he wasn’t as explosive coming off the edge, this wasn’t a serious injury. The Bears took him for an X-ray after the game and no doubt have fully explored what’s going on here. It may take a little while for him to be fully healed, and that requires rest and careful decisions when it comes to practice time, but the best players — and Mack is elite — find ways to play through minor issues and still be productive.

Wiederer: To be expected. I was beyond surprised that so many fans and analysts were taken aback by Nagy’s full-throated defense of Trubisky’s rocky performance. The Bears coach, by necessity, is Trubisky’s biggest supporter. And his public defense of the young quarterback was understandable even if it wasn’t entirely candid. That said, I’m fully confident that behind the scenes at Halas Hall, Nagy is schooling Trubisky on his mistakes in a demanding way, finding a way to balance his public backing with a heavy dose of constructive criticism. I find myself circling back to something Nagy told me over the summer when discussing Trubisky’s perfectionist personality. “That’s our job as coaches to kind of corral that,” he said. “Now it’s not false enthusiasm. You can’t give that. You can’t make the kid feel like he just made three mistakes in a row and you’re pumping him up. No. There’s a balance to it. It’s, ‘Listen, here’s why you did what you did. Don’t do it next time and you’ll be OK.’ “

Kane: Probably not how most people felt while watching Trubisky complete 26 of 50 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Negative impressions sometimes last longer for fans, and the flare-ups of inaccuracy and poor decisions that marred Trubisky’s day don’t scream “good game.” But I don’t see a problem with Nagy taking that line publicly, whether he wanted to hold the rest of his team accountable, he wanted a self-critical Trubisky to absorb the big-picture positives or he really did see growth others didn’t. Special teams and defense played just as big a role in the loss as Trubisky, if not more.

Campbell: Genuine, even if it didn’t quite match the eye test. In fairness to the coach, we should pay attention to his assessment that the Patriots did very well covering the Bears receivers. They absolutely did, and the stats reflect that. From the quarterback’s standpoint, Trubisky didn’t throw guys open, but let’s leave that criteria for after he consistently sees and connects with open receivers. Trubisky is looking at a get-well game Sunday against a Jets secondary that is without multiple cornerbacks because of injury. Most importantly, for me, Trubisky’s top priority must be ball security in the red zone. For two straight weeks it has been shaky.

Biggs: Probably a slight variation from the message he delivered to the quarterback in the meeting room. There were just too many throws that were off target against the Patriots and had Trubisky been more accurate, the offense would have been considerably better. The Patriots should have picked him off twice in the end zone. That being said, he did some very good things and made some really big plays with his legs. He’s getting better with his decision-making and he has done a much better job of keeping his eyes downfield, a point that Nagy conveyed to media on Monday. It’s a growth process for Nagy, Trubisky and the offense as a whole, and with so many people wanting to offer hot takes and definitive statements on Trubisky’s career arc on a weekly basis, it can be overwhelming. Nagy is Trubisky’s biggest backer at Halas Hall and he has to be. You have to sift through what you’ve seen and what you’ve heard and form your own opinion.

Biggs: Underwhelming, especially if you judge the production of just the running backs and not the yardage that has been gained by Trubisky, who is on pace to run for 653 yards. The running game has been largely out of sync, and that falls on the running backs and the offensive line. The Bears also have passed on opportunities to really get lathered up running the ball, such as the second half of the blowout of the Buccaneers when they came out throwing and kept throwing. It’s a passing league now and the teams with the best passing offenses are the ones that will be the most dangerous threats in January. Yes, the Bears have to become better on the ground, but make sure you keep an eye on what is most significant and the major improvements that have been made in the passing game.

Campbell: Not as helpful to Trubisky as it ideally would be. Some of that is play-calling, but a lot of it is inconsistent blocking up front. Bears linemen and tight ends would be the first to admit that they haven’t generated a consistent push at the line of scrimmage. Also, Howard thrived the last two seasons on outside-zone runs, which aren’t featured nearly as much in Nagy’s scheme, which relies mostly on inside zone and power. While Tarik Cohen more consistently gains yards that aren’t blocked for, Jordan Howard usually gets what’s blocked for, plus a little after contact. That means his blockers must be sharper with their technique and timing.

Kane: Not good enough. Nagy said Monday the Bears have not yet found their identity on the ground, and it’s up to coaches “to figure out who we are, what we do best.” It has been one of the bigger offensive surprises of the season that Howard has only 311 yards on 90 carries — just 3.5 yards per carry — after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to open his career. If it’s not going to be Howard, they need to get Tarik Cohen going better than they did Sunday. Howard said Tuesday patience is required, but the NFL season is entering Week 8. Nagy’s offense is always going to be pass-first, but he was blunt. “When you’re not good in the run game and you become one-dimensional, you’re in trouble.”