Mitch Trubisky is two weeks into what appears to be a massive shift in how he’s perceived as an NFL quarterback. The 2017 second-overall pick is beginning to settle in as a player who’s viewed as a capable NFL starter instead of a potentially historic NFL draft bust.
Trubisky will have an opportunity to continue building on that momentum in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons pass defense, which even when healthy is one of the worst in the NFL.
And they won’t be healthy on Sunday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Falcons will be without first-round cornerback A.J. Terrell, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
Falcons got the news about CB A.J. Terrell's test today; it was from a test he took Friday morning. Terrell practiced Friday. Now immediate contact tracing goes into effect, per league protocols, but the Falcons have not gotten any other positive test results. https://t.co/0mqy9dNLUG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 26, 2020
Terrell joins cornerback Kendall Sheffield and safety Ricardo Allen as key secondary pieces who will miss the game for the Falcons.
It’s worth monitoring the fallout from Terrell’s positive COVID-19 test, too. As Schefter noted, Terrell is the first player who will miss a game following a positive test. And while no additional positive tests have been reported for the Falcons, the NFL has yet to be challenged with a potential team outbreak.
For Trubisky, Sunday’s game offers an opportunity to pick apart Atlanta’s depleted secondary that’s already surrerended 744 yards and five touchdowns through two games.