The Chicago Bears’ Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings ended in about as bad a way any game could: an injury to the starting quarterback.
Nick Foles was carted off the field at the end of the fourth quarter with an apparent hip/foot/leg injury. It was salt in the wound of a 19-13 defeat and if Foles’ body language was any indication of how serious his injury is, there’s a chance we’ve seen the last of him this season.
There’s been no official report yet about the severity of Foles’ injury. Maybe he’ll be back much sooner than his cart-ride would otherwise suggest. But don’t count on it.
Instead, bet on the return of Mitch Trubisky to the starting lineup, assuming Trubisky can recover from his shoulder injury in time for Week 12’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Chicago has a bye in Week 11.
At 5-5, the Bears-Packers game feels much less significant than it did a few weeks ago. Chicago is in the midst of a four-game losing streak while Green Bay (7-2) continues to be the pace car of the NFC North. If the Bears are to have any chance at a miraculous late-season run for a division title, they have to win in Week 12. Even if they do, it’s still a stretch to think they can catch the Packers.
The Bears’ 2020 season could come down to Trubisky righting the ship. Let that sink in.
We might’ve been facing this reality even if Foles didn’t get injured against the Vikings. His performance was brutal…again. He misfired on a would-be go-ahead touchdown to Anthony Miller late in the fourth quarter on a pass that will be remembered as the moment the season was lost if the Bears don’t get back on the winning track.
Foles finished Week 10 completing 15-of-26 passes for 106 yards and one interception. He set football back about 50 years. His time as Chicago’s starter felt like it was coming to its natural end.
It will be interesting to see what Trubisky is capable of with a different play-caller, assuming offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is given another shot to call plays in Week 12. He didn’t provide the Bears the kind of boost that was expected against Minnesota, and, in a way, he may have vindicated Matt Nagy a bit. The sad reality is the Bears’ offense doesn’t have the most critical piece needed to score points. They don’t have a quarterback. And when you don’t have a quarterback, it doesn’t matter who’s calling plays.
Trubisky has six games to prove the Bears do, in fact, have a quarterback. The optimist will say his time on the bench was needed to unlock the potential highlighted in his college scouting report. The pessimist will say we already know who he is; he’s shown it to us in his 45 career starts.
Regardless, the Bears are a sinking ship. They’re a trainwreck. They can’t move the ball and they can’t score points. The savior isn’t on the roster, and he certainly isn’t in the quarterback room.
Sure, Trubisky will get his shot. But the results will be the same. And the Bears will be searching for QB-next — again — this offseason.