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When the Chicago Bears trailed the Detroit Lions 23-6 in the fourth quarter, most people had already marked a loss in the Week 1 column. Especially considering the Bears offense had once again been atrocious against a favorable defense through the first three quarters.
But then quarterback Mitchell Trubisky led three scoring drives — all three touchdowns to tight end Jimmy Graham, receiver Javon Wims and receiver Anthony Miller — where the Bears scored 21 unanswered points to defeat the Lions 27-23.
“It’s pretty special, man,” Graham said. “The kid wants it. The kid believes. There was never a moment on that sideline where he wasn’t being completely positive about what we could and what we were going to do.”
Which is probably the most frustrating part.
There’s no denying that Trubisky has the talent and potential — we’ve seen it in spurts throughout his career. And his teammates have always spoken glowingly about his leadership and his desire to succeed. But his inability to string together consistent performances — even four consistent quarters — remains his biggest fault.
One minute, Trubisky is orchestrating an improbable fourth-quarter comeback, where he’s fitting some balls into some pretty tight windows with ease, and the next minute, Trubisky is missing some pretty easy completions that make you want to tear your hair out.
It’s one or the other with Trubisky, which is exactly the problem. The Bears can’t hope to compete this season, especially as they head into a tough second-half stretch, if they don’t get consistent quarterback play from the start. Eventually, they’ll face teams that aren’t the Lions that won’t crumble in the fourth quarter.
Trubisky has always been at his best when he’s not overthinking — which have come in situations like Sunday’s comeback, where he can just play backyard football.
The Bears will host the New York Giants in Week 2, where all eyes will be on Trubisky to see where he picks up following that impressive fourth-quarter comeback. He’s going to need to get off to a fast start — something head coach Matt Nagy has stressed — to find a rhythm that, perhaps, he can carry through an entire game.
Trubisky, who’s in the final year of his rookie deal, has a lot to prove this season if he hopes to salvage his career in Chicago. But that’s going to require some consistency, something that he’s yet to prove he’s capable of over the course of an entire season.
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