Mitch Trubisky has often been at his best in Bears’ rivalry with the Lions.
Trubisky’s success against Lions could stop Bears skid
Bears coach Matt
Nagy tried to keep the player he chose to start at quarterback a bit of a mystery lastweek.
While that riddle was solved for many when
Nick Foles did not practice, somewere surprised thisweek when
Mitch Trubisky was the clear choice to face the Lions.
Flash back to what looms as the most devastating defeat of the season— the Bears’ 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 16 at Soldier Field— and you’ll find that Nagy made it clear what direction hewas going.
Nagy lamented the offense’s inability to run the football and provide even a hint of balance on offense. Only with Trubisky on the field have the Bears been marginally effective running the ball.
They rushed for 122 yards in the 41-26 road loss to the Green Bay Packers last week. Yes, 57 came on David Montgomery’s burst up the middle on the Bears’ second offensive play, but the team had 63 rushing yards or less in six of Foles’ seven starts.
As alarming as Trubisky’s turnovers
were against the Packers— the Bears aren’t going to win many games with three giveaways— it’s a no-brainer when zooming in on the position. The offense rushed for a season-high 149 yards in the opener in Detroit, and that included playing catch-up in the fourth quarter of the comeback victory. The Bears have averaged 134 rushing yards in Trubisky’s four starts, so barring a meltdown— and that can’t be ruled out with Tribusky— he figures to be the guy the rest of theway.
Trubisky has experienced success against the Lions since Nagy’s arrival in 2018, throwing 12 touchdown passes with one interception in his last four starts against them for a sparkling passer rating of 124.4.
As disturbing as the five-game losing streak has been, and as bleak as the near future appears at HalasHall, there’s a glimmer of hope when evaluating the stretch run. Through Week 12, the Bears have faced the NFL’s seventh most-difficult schedule in terms of opponent’s winning percentage. Their next four opponents— Lions, Texans, Vikings and Jaguars— have a combined 14-30 record, and it’s possible the Packers will be motivated to rest some key starters in the Week 17 season finale at Soldier Field, especially if they’re locked into a playoff spot.
For that Packers game to even matter, the Bears must go on the kind of run they did to begin the season— and that’s why the offense needs to be clicking against a Lions team that figures to get a boost from the organizational housecleaning made lastweekend when general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia were fired.
Patricia reportedly wasn’t popular in the locker room— and various former Lions delighted on social media at his demise— so it stands to reason his exit will provide some spark for interim coach Darrell Bevell. Whether that is sustainable or not, who knows? Injuries have plagued the Lions all season— theywere beat up in the Week 1 opener at Ford Field — and they’re talent deficient on defense, whichwas Patricia’s area of expertise.
The Lions are missing key players in the secondary and have little pass rush on the artificial turf at Ford Field. They’ll be slower on the natural grass at Soldier Field, and Trey Flowers, their best frontseven player, is on injured reserve.
What we don’t knowis if defensive coordinator Cory Undlin will make subtle changes with Patricia nowgone— or if Bevell will call on him to do so.
The Lions have been heavily dependent on man coverage in the secondary, which has been a problem without toptier cornerbacks. They’ve leaned on single-high safety looks, especially late in games, which has allowed Trubisky to easily identify coverage pre-snap and choose predefined throws. Will Undlin mix in more zone coverage to make Trubisky work through his progressions?
“My goal is to make sure we put our guys in the best situation to be successful, whatever that is,” Bevell said. “I don’t knowif there are any major new wrinkles.
“We have such a short time. The important thing forme is our guys know exactly what they are doing so they can play fast and free and with their hair on fire. That’s what I am looking for.
“If there is a new wrinkle that allows us to do that, I’m all for it. But we’ve got these guys ingrained in the system and what they’ve been doing, so Iwant to make sure we don’t confuse them.”
A victory would bring the Bears (5-6) back to .500 and give them a fighting chance at reaching the playoffs with a push in the final quarter of the season. Of all the Bears’ disappointments in the previous sixweeks, the loss to the Vikings is most crushing because itwas a division game and they would be tied with the seventh-seeded Arizona Cardinals right now had they won.
Butthere’s no point in looking back. That’s for the offseason.
The Bears have to look ahead, wondering if the Lions will mix things up with a roster playing for the future as hard and thorough evaluations are coming in Detroit when new management and a new coach are in place.