The last time we saw Mitchell Trubisky on the field against the Lions, he was completing a furious fourth-quarter rally that sparked a 5-1 start to the 2020 season.
Twelve weeks later, Trubisky will look to recapture the magic against the team he flat-out owns:
Mitch Trubisky will indeed start Sunday vs. Detroit, Matt Nagy says.
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) December 2, 2020
Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy told reporters that Trubisky will start at quarterback against the Lions on Sunday. This will mark Trubisky’s second consecutive start since returning from the bye week. Trubisky’s return to the lineup comes after Nick Foles suffered hip/glute injuries at the end of Week 10 that ultimately made him unavailable to play after the bye week.
Speaking of Foles, he practiced with limitations on Wednesday. Nagy said Foles wasn’t 100 percent where he needs to be from a physical standpoint, but the limited designation is an upgrade after missing last week’s practices. Depending on how Foles progresses over the next two days, there is a possibility he could serve as Trubisky’s backup. But we’re not there just yet, so hold your horses.
For now, this is Trubisky’s team. And on Sunday, he’ll go against a team he dominates. Trubisky has posted passer ratings of 148.6, 131.0, 118.1, and 104.2 against the Lions in four games against Detroit since Nagy’s arrival. That’s really good, to say the least. Trubisky has thrown three touchdowns in each of those game, while being intercepted just once. And while I’m not a mathematician, a 12-1 TD-INT ratio is spectacular.
HOWEVER … this could be a different task for Trubisky to conquer. The Lions will trot out a new head coach and defensive play-caller against the Bears this week. Trubisky has done his damage against Detroit primarily against man-to-man defenses. So I’m curious to see if they’ll throw a curveball with some zones, and if Trubisky has a counter-punch to what’s thrown his way.