Bears’ Trubisky tests fans’ patience
If Chicago Bears fans are becoming a tad impatient with Mitchell Trubisky, you can hardly blame them.
Two games into his third season as Chicago’s starting quarterback, the 2017 No. 2 overall draft pick still is not consistently playing well.
On Monday night, he’ll attempt to help the Bears improve to 2-1 at the winless Washington Redskins (8:15 p.m. EDT, TSN via ESPN).
Ample ambivalence regarding Trubisky is warranted.
Sure, he unexpectedly led the Bears to the NFC North championship last season. And going back to last season, the Bears have won their past four road games. That’s a feather in any quarterback’s cap.
But Trubisky has yet to throw a touchdown pass this season — against miserable stats such as 58 per cent completions and a 65.0 passer rating.
It’s not just Trubisky, though. The whole offence is misfiring. The Bears have scored just 19 points. Rookie running back David Montgomery looks good at times, but he has just 80 yards on 24 carries.
“You just gotta believe this week is gonna be the week,” Trubisky said.
Chicago head coach Matt Nagy is preaching patience, not impatience.
“Making sure we have the earmuffs on and the blinders,” he said. “I mean that. It’s hard in this world today, because it’s everywhere. People are talking and saying things and when you’re doing real well, everyone’s all about it. When you’re not doing well, everyone’s all about it.”
Chicago faces a Washington defence that has allowed 455 yards per game in two losses, third worst in the league — and 168 rush yards allowed per game, second worst in the league.
The Washington offence, meantime, has performed quite well under veteran quarterback Case Keenum, whose stats are as spectacular as any Redskins passer in recent memory two games into a season.
He faces one of the NFL’s best defences, of course, in a Bears unit that hasn’t even allowed 600 total yards in two games.
The Bears’ horrible luck with kickers since cutting Robbie Gould in September 2016 seemed finally to have ended last Sunday, when Eddie Pineiro drilled a 53-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Broncos in Denver.
But Pineiro reportedly injured his right knee in the weight room on Friday and is listed as questionable.
Chicago fans would get a whole lot more kicks out of watching Trubisky play well.