Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky kept his haters at bay for at least another week after his incredible performance in the fourth quarter of Week 1’s victory over the Lions.
He rallied the Bears from a 23-6 deficit by throwing three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 27-yard strike to wide receiver Anthony Miller with less than two minutes remaining in the game. His box score was pretty: 20-of-36, 242 yards, three touchdowns (zero interceptions).
But the game wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies for Trubisky, whose first three quarters (give or take) were as frustrating as his first three seasons. In fact, the analytics from Sunday’s game support the tale of the tape.
Check out this nugget from Pro Football Focus:
Mitch Trubisky finished Week 1 with the 2nd-highest rate of positively graded passes
and the 3rd-highest rate of negatively graded passes
(A majority of every quarterback's passes receive a neutral grade) pic.twitter.com/LUqn2gbsnZ
— PFF CHI Bears (@PFF_Bears) September 16, 2020
Trubisky was among the best (and worst) passers in the NFL in Week 1. It’s hard to balance those two realities, considering it’s usually one or the other. On Sunday, Trubisky was both.
The Bears need something that falls in between from the former second overall pick. An argument can be made that the reason Chicago was trailing like they were late in the game was because of those negatively graded throws from Trubisky.
They won because of his positive throws, too.