The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Hunt, Trubisky will face off in preseason clash
Area native-led Chiefs, Bears will clash in preseason contest Aug. 25 in Chicago
A preseason NFL game between Chiefs and Bears includes locals Kareem Hunt and Mitchell Trubisky.
“It’s all about getting better every single day and being the leader I need to be for my teammates and making sure everyone is working hard and doing their job.” – Bears quarterback and Mentor native Mitchell Trubisky
Area football fans waiting for Kareem Hunt and Mitchell Trubisky to face off in an NFL game will get a taste of that this summer.
The full treat won’t come to fruition until 2019, however.
The Chiefs and Bears will meet in the 2018 preseason when Kansas City makes a trip to Soldier Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff Aug. 25.
It will be interesting how long Mentor graduate Trubisky plays in that game. The Bears will play five preseason games — most teams play just four — starting with the Hall of Fame game in Canton Aug. 2 against the Ravens. Kickoff is 8 p.m. at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Teams during the preseason traditionally set the third of four games as their dress rehearsal for the regular season. Starters usually play into the second half, so expect Hunt to play a bunch in that Aug. 25 game. That game will be the Chiefs’ third preseason game.
C hic ago’s t hird pre - season game is against the Broncos the week before the Chiefs game.
The 2019 season will feature t he rea l t hing as it pertains to a Hunt-Trubisky matchup. NFL opponents for teams for 2019 are already in the books, and the Bears and the Chiefs will play each other that season.
Fa ns of Hunt won’t have to make a long drive to watch the Willoughby South graduate in person
this season. The Browns host the Chiefs at First-Energy Stadium on Nov. 4.
Also of note, for the first time since 2003, the Bears and the Browns won’t conclude their preseason playing each other. The Bears host the Bills that week, and the Browns play at the Lions.
Last preseason, Trubisky didn’t get the opportunity to throw the ball much against t he Browns, and didn’t play in the second half. In the regular season, Trubisky played one of his best games as a rookie in a win over the Browns. In that game, he was 14 of 23 passing for 193 yards, and rushed for 44 yards on seven attempts with a rushing touchdown.
In 12 starts in 2017, Trubisky completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 2,193 yards with seven TD passes and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 248 yards and two TDs. Trubisky told The News-Herald this offseason he expects to make a jump in Year 2.
“It’s all about getting better ever y single day and being the leader I need to be for my teammates and making sure everyone is working hard
and doing t heir job,” Trubisky said. “... I know exactly what to expect as a starter. I think I’ll be well prepared this year.”
Meanwhile, Hunt said this of fseason he’s not resting on his incredible rookie season with the Chiefs.
The third-round pick out of Toledo led the NFL in rushing with 1,327 yards, and was first in yards after contact with 839. He had 11 total touchdowns, was first among rookie sin total yards with 1,782, and made the Pro Bowl as a member of the AFC squad.
It all started in the
reg u la r- sea son opener against New England, when Hunt fumbled on the first snap of his career.
From there, he went wild with 246 total yards and three touchdowns. Those 246 yards were the most ever by a player in his NFL debut. The fumble was Hunt’s only one of the season. He had 324 touches af ter that first rushing attempt.
Hunt was also the runner-up in NFL Rookie of the Year voting to the Saint s’ A lv in K ama ra . Those accomplishments were a boost to Hunt, but he’s out to get more re-
spect in 2018.
“I mean, sometimes. I feel like I’m getting (more respect) now,” Hunt said recently on N FL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” “Coming up (at South and Toledo), I definitely didn’t feel like I was getting the respect I deserved. I just put that right here (in my mind) and went out there and just — now you have to show and be about it.”
Hunt earned some of that respect when the NFL Network recently revealed its Top 100 player list. The Chiefs running back checked in at No. 33 on the 2018 list.