Getty Mitchell Trubisky of the Chicago Bears
The remaining three game of the season could determine a great deal for the Chicago Bears. If the Bears win out and miraculously slip into the playoffs, head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace may wind up sticking around another season — but nothing is a given right now in Chicago.
Another question on the minds of many is what the future of former second-overall pick Mitch Trubisky will hold. Trubisky, who was benched in favor of Nick Foles Week 3, took over under center again Week 12 with an injured — and ineffective — Foles on the bench. Since his return to the starting lineup, Trubisky has 776 yards, seven touchdowns, two picks and a rating of 103.2. His two best games, against the Lions and Texans Weeks 13 and 14, came at the expense of the NFL’s 29th and 31st ranked defenses, however, and considering everything that has led up to this point, it may be too little too late for Mitch in Chicago.
While it feels as though Trubisky’s story in Chicago has already been written, the Bears have more question marks surrounding them than most other teams in the league, and the franchise’s habit of never firing coaches or front office personnel during the regular season only clouds things in the Windy City. Trubisky could very well stay in Chicago on a one-year deal in 2021, as unlikely as that may seem right now — particularly if he keeps his current hot streak going.
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Matt Nagy on Mitch Trubisky: ‘He’s Been Through a Lot’
When speaking to the media Monday after Chicago’s dominating 36-7 win over Houston, the Bears head coach had nothing but praise for his fourth-year quarterback.
“Every player in this league has their own story and we don’t know where Mitch’s story is gonna end up, but all’s we can do right now is focus on where he’s at right now at this moment. When you talk about a kid who has been through a lot — putting it out there, he’s been through a lot in three years, four years — for him to be able to get where he’s at right now the way he’s doing it, that’s a credit to him. You can’t take that away from him. What he’s trying to do right now is be the greatest quarterback he can be for the Chicago Bears, be the greatest leader he can be for the Chicago Bears, be the greatest teammate he can be for the Chicago Bears, and the last three games, his performance individually has been pretty good,” Nagy said.
Nagy also added that he felt being benched earlier in the year has helped Trubisky become a better overall player. “I do believe that for a lot of different reasons that’s going to end up really helping him out in his career. What it’s done is enable him to take a step back ad see where we’re at and now these last thee games we’re feeling an identity in this offense and he’s a big part of that,” Nagy said.
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Trubisky Has 3 More Games to Make an Impression…
“I like to say when things are gray and they’re not always perfect, can you make plays? And he’s doing that right now,” Nagy said of Trubisky. “These guys … have a good confidence right now of scoring points and getting first downs. We’re staying out of a lot of third downs. The other part of this that’s really good for Mitch’s sake — whether it’s a crushing loss against the Packers or whether it’s a crushing loss against Detroit when you have a 10-point lead, or whether it’s a really convincing, fun win against the Houston Texans — he stayed in his lane the whole entire time. He’s never too high, he’s never too low. That’s the part that I like about him. So right now, he’s in a good place and we just want to keep things going.”
The Bears have three remaining games against the Vikings, Jaguars and Packers, and the better Trubisky performs, the better his resume will look to the Bears — and to other teams — in 2021.
You can watch Nagy’s full interview below:
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