NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears have one (1) offensive touchdown in 22 possessions through two games of the 2019 season, but Mitch Trubisky believes better days are on the horizon. So much so, he used the word “believe” (or some variation of it) at least six times during his weekly press conference.
Seriously.
“We’re so close. We have that belief within our offense, and it’s just the type of guys we have around us.”
“I’m always going to stay positive and believe that the next game is going to be our best game. And those guys believe that too. We want to score touchdowns.”
“The most important thing to me is that my guys still believe in me.”
“We’ve gotta believe that this offense can explode at any minute because of the playmakers and the special guys we have in the locker room.”
“You just gotta believe this week is gonna be the week.”
In Trubisky’s defense, if any week is going to be #TheWeek, it is Week 3. The Bears travel to our nation’s capital to take on a Washington team that is battered after an 0-2 start. Divisional foes Philadelphia and Dallas took advantage of holes in the defense to create chunk plays and put up big offensive numbers. And because history can have a weird way of repeating itself, Trubisky has every right to believe his offense can do similarly.
It was around this time last year when Trubisky and the Bears offense slowly on offense.
We were underscoring how Trubisky was making mistakes in bunches, much like the ones he is making now. There were mechanical flaws that were causing passes to sail or fall short of their intended target. Issues reading defenses and an inability to take what is given to him by completing simple plays were as maddening then as they are now. It is truly concerning that Trubisky is having to work through kinks he appeared to have smoothed out late last season, but at least there is a precedent of him being able to make adjustments.
Trubisky throwing for 354 yards and six touchdowns against the Buccaneers in Week 4 snagged the headlines, but it was how he went about getting to that game that matters more than anything. The combination of anticipatory throws, a willingness and ability to read a defense and react to a blitz, and improved fundamentals allowed Trubisky to fully show off his skills. We highlighted the things that led to Trubisky’s breakout performance in this video-heavy break-down post.
Starting with that performance, this is how Trubisky wrapped up the final 12 games (11 regular season, 1 playoff) of 2018:
See what happens when you play smart and mechanically sound football?
This isn’t to say Trubisky is primed for another 350+ yard, 6 TD performance. HOWEVER, we have seen Trubisky work through problems before and prove to be a more than competent quarterback who can engineer drives that can put points on the board and keep the defense off the field. If the Bears can win the time of possession game, end drives with touchdowns, and not need a prayer of a 53-yard field goal to beat Washington, Trubisky will have a few more believers in his corner on Tuesday morning.
