NEWSLETTER
Before Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy clarified Mitch Trubisky’s injury situation, ESPN’s Adam Schefter painted a more optimistic appraisal of the situation:
Despite Mitchell Trubisky suffering a shoulder injury in fourth quarter against Vikings, Bears are optimistic their QB will be able to play Thanksgiving Day vs. Lions, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 20, 2018
While Nagy considered Trubisky day-to-day, a source informed Schefter that the team was feeling a bit more optimistic than pessimistic for Thursday. Clearly, this isn’t a black and white situation. And that’s where @ProFootballDoc’s tweets can be very valuable.
David J. Chao is a practicing orthopedic surgeon, a former NFL team doctor, and a Sports Medical Analyst for the San Diego Union-Tribune. He is essentially the go-to-guy for football injury analysis and his opinion carries a great deal of weight. But unfortunately, Chao’s take is sobering.
In his latest piece dissecting the injury, Chao is “pessimistic” about Trubisky’s ability to play on Thursday because of the accelerated timeline/quick turnaround. And while Chao believes the Bears when they say surgery isn’t required and major damage was avoided, the way Trubisky reacted on the play and the events that followed suggest the Bears’ starting quarterback is doubtful to take part in Thanksgiving festivities on the field.
Here’s a look at Harrison Smith’s late hit that caused the injury:
Here is the play where #MitchTrubisky injures his throwing shoulder. Full analysis coming shortly on https://t.co/dFDT8os6QG pic.twitter.com/Buu0ABGbZ3
— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) November 20, 2018
Chao points out how Trubisky favoring his right arm after the play and reaches out with his left hand when running back Jordan Howard reached out to help his quarterback get to his feet. From there, Trubisky threw only one more pass – an incompletion in the flat. What what would otherwise be viewed as a throwaway, Chao sees it as a possibility that Trubisky’s injury made it uncomfortable to throw.
The good news is that Chao doesn’t view Trubisky’s injury as a long-term problem, which vibes with what Nagy was saying earlier. But based on what’s on tape, it’s getting more difficult to see Trubisky starting on Thursday.
