Mitchell Trubisky is making his regular season debut, and I’ll be your guide to everything he does. The Bears are home underdogs on Monday Night Football, hosting division rival Minnesota and their stout defense.
Here’s a chronological timeline of tonight’s action:
Trubisky came out to applause on the game’s opening drive, as the Bears received the opening kickoff.
Trubisky’s first NFL throw was a third-down conversion to Kendall Wright, throwing a sideline out route away from coverage. His next ball was over the middle for another first down, again to Wright.
Perfectly placed ball by Mitchell Trubisky to open up his NFL career:
The Bears appeared to enter the redzone on a beautiful rollout throw from Trubisky, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. The drive stalled at midfield and the Bears were forced to punt.
Mitch Trubisky has the bewildered face of every 23 year old who is suddenly thrown into the real world after college
On his third drive, Trubisky got space on a rollout and hit Tre McBride for an 18-yard gain. The ball comes flying out of his hand, and he hasn’t looked erratic or jumpy early in the action.
Trubisky bootleg. Another play that Glennon isnt even capable of. t.co/2JgvGPM5K7
Despite his successes, penalties have killed the Bears early on. Trubisky and the run game are moving the football, but the Bears already have six penalties in the first half.
Trubisky made his first mistake late in the first half, when Everson Griffen got behind him for a strip/sack deep in his own territory.
Mitchell Trubisky’s first NFL touchdown pass came early in the fourth quarter, on a tipped pass that was caught in the endzone by Zach Miller. It wasn’t pretty, but it put the Bears within two. The Bears then pulled off this outstanding two-point conversion play to tie the game at 17.
With the game on the line in the final minutes, Trubisky made his first big rookie mistake. On the first play of a drive starting at his own 20, Trubisky shorted a pass intended for Zach Miller, and he recorded the first interception of his career to Harrison Smith. That pick proved the difference, and the Bears lost 20-17.
Trubisky Stat Line: 12/25, 119 yards, TD, INT
Preview
After four weeks of Mike Glennon, the Bears have seen enough. Mitchell Trubisky gets the start for the Bears, who have looked as competitive as any 1-3 team in football. Trubisky can lean on an excellent run game, but expect him to be aggressive when he gets the chance to throw. He showed in college and preseason that he has all the tools to be an NFL quarterback, and the run game will allow him bigger windows to make throws.
It bears noting (pun intended) that Chicago lost multiple wide receivers to injury before Trubisky’s debut. So if he comes out firing, think about what he could look like next year with Cameron Meridith and Kevin White on the outsides.