The first Mitch Trubisky playoff performance was quite a ride. All of his critics were on standby, waiting for him to blow it. He almost did with a number of poor decisions in the first half including at least two passes that should’ve been interceptions. It looked like the high-pressure atmosphere was too much for the young Chicago Bears quarterback.
However, NFL games are played in four quarters. Not two. Could Trubisky gather himself in the second half and get his team back in the game? The answer was yes. Facing a mounting deficit at 10-6, the 24-year old put the game on his shoulders and carried the Bears back. All told he went 13-of-20 for 168 yards in the second half.
This included one of the best drives of his career. Down 10-9 with 11 minutes to go in the 4th quarter and facing 3rd and 11, Trubisky went to work. He fired a beautiful 19-yard conversion to Taylor Gabriel between three defenders. Then he hit Josh Bellamy for 34 yards moments later before polishing things off with a 22-yard score to Allen Robinson for the lead.
Mitch Trubisky playoff game made believers out of so many people
Following that, with the team down again 16-15, Trubisky once again answered the bell. On the final drive of the game, he hit on passes of 25 and eight to put the team in range for a 43-yard field goal that would win them the game. Sadly Cody Parkey lived up to his unreliable reputation, clanking the ball off the left post.
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Though it was a brutal way to lose, several Bears players came away supremely excited about Trubisky and the future of this football team with him in charge. They said as much to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
Kyle Long
“People ask me about Mitch, I can’t really put my finger on one thing,” Long said. “He’s so poised, he’s so prepared, and he’s such a laid-back, cool guy. He’s easy to be around and he commands your respect, not through his words or anything, but with the way that he carries himself and his actions.”
Trey Burton
“Man, we can be special. Watching Mitch in the second half, I was so excited for the future,” he said. “It keeps replaying in my head. There’s so much positive to take from this year. It just makes us all that much more excited to come back.”
Josh Bellamy
“He’s a fighter,” Bellamy said. “But I already knew that. We all know that. Mitch is a fighter. He’s gonna fight. He’s gonna go to the end and we’ll go with him to the end. We’ll battle with Mitch to the end. I’ll take him any day.”
One of the hardest parts for a quarterback in the NFL is making believers out of his teammates. So many aren’t able to do that, often because they crumble in big situations. Trubisky’s ability and mental toughness to survive the rough start and deliver when his team needed him most should have profound benefits moving forward.
