Throughout Mitch Trubisky’s rookie year there were signs of why Ryan Pace staked his future to the young quarterback, and while the flashes were special, all too often Trubisky looked like a player who only had 13 college starts.
Just like with any fan base there were pessimistic fans who thought the glimpses were too few and far between and optimistic fans who believed the Bears finally had a franchise QB that has eluded the team since the days of Sid Luckman.
Of course, there were also realist fans sprinkled in who knew it was a good idea not to judge a rookie quarterback based on seven starts in a Dowell Loggains led offense.
Regardless of which side of the fence they were on, fans who wanted to see the team succeed needed to see Trubisky improve this year.
And while he has improved on the field, which is the most important aspect of the job, Trubisky has shown tremendous resiliency proving he has the right mentality to lead this franchise.
Not only has Trubisky showed this ability to bounce back from a trying rookie year, but also within the past few games as he has bounced back from uneven first half performances to keep his team in games or to help ice others away, as was the case against the Jets.
In the first half against Miami, Trubisky was 9-of-14 for 89 yards but more importantly, his team was held scoreless. Trubisky then bounced back to go 14-for-22 for 227 yards and three touchdowns and one interception.
Even after the costly interception, Trubisky led the offense on an 11-play, 69-yard drive that included a 29-yard Anthony Miller touchdown on third-and-9 to retake the lead, which was shortly given away.
Against the Patriots, Trubisky was 8-of-20 for 92 yards and zero touchdowns in the first half. In the second half, he went 18-for-30 for 241 yards and led two scoring drives.
Even though Trubisky threw two interceptions, which could have been better throws, the defense did make some incredible plays. Still, Trubisky got his team within one score and gave his defense a chance to give him the ball back. And with all that the Bears were quite literally one yard away from having a chance to either to go to overtime or win the game outright.
Finally against the Jets, Trubisky struggled in the windy conditions in the first half going 5-of-13 for 116 yards, numbers greatly influenced by a 70-yard screen pass to Tarik Cohen. In the second half, Trubisky rebounded by going 11-of-16 for 104 yards.
Sure the yards per attempt could be better, but on the three drives they needed it the most, Trubisky led the offense to three scores, two touchdowns and a field goal. One of the touchdowns included a beautiful four-yard pass to Miller, which head coach Matt Nagy labeled “special” in his postgame press conference.
Bears writer Adam Hoge of WGN Radio had this to say of Trubisky’s game against the Jets:
#Bears film — Despite uneven 1H, I thought Mitch Trubisky was the best player on the field in the 2H. Throwing or running, his decisions were good. Once he got comfortable w/ #Jets spying him, he took advantage w/out pressure and then picked his spots to run when it was there.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) October 29, 2018
Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times was also complimentary of Trubisky:
Upon further review, #Bears QB Mitch Trubisky played a better game than I previously thought. He made good throws vs. blitzes and under pressure. He displayed some poise in the pocket.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) October 29, 2018
Not only has Trubisky greatly improved his overall numbers this year, but he has also shown that he is capable of putting poor play behind him and using it to improve.
This is important in the long run as mental strength is one of the many intangible qualities that teammates and coaches look for in a franchise quarterback.
Nevertheless, Nagy, Trubisky and the whole offense want to see a well-played four quarters of football on a consistent basis and when that happens this will be a scary Bears team.
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