Chicago Bears fans are still trying to wrap their heads around what the hell happened last Sunday. For three quarters in Detroit, it felt like normalcy reigned. Mitch Trubisky looked every bit like the player they’d seen a year ago. One who just seemed lost in the face of a professional NFL defense. Mechanics? Footwork? Accuracy? Decision-making? All of it was bad and a huge reason why the Bears seemed dead in the water down 23-6 going into the 4th quarter.
Then? Things got weird.
Perhaps nobody showed the sheer bafflement of Trubisky’s monumental 15 minutes of football that followed than Adam Schein. The longtime NFL analyst hasn’t been shy about making his criticism for the Bears quarterback well-known. His opinion of Trubisky could’ve have been lower coming into the 2020 season. That is why his post-game reaction is rather fitting.
“Honestly, I’m at a loss here. I thought yesterday (and, frankly, still do today) that the Bears have the worst quarterback room in the NFL. For three quarters, Trubisky couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn. Then Trubisky appeared to have an out-of-body experience. Leading the Bears to 21 unanswered points — and a stunning win in Detroit — Mitch was surgical in the fourth quarter, completing eight of his 10 throws for 89 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding a 20-yard run. He was dropping dimes left and right. It was startling, mind-bending stuff — like seeing a unicorn. You might never see it again. (OK, maybe I should lay off the guy for a week. Did not see this coming.)”
So who exactly is the real Mitch Trubisky?
This is what drives Bears fans so insane. They can’t get an accurate read on the man. He’ll look like a junior varsity quarterback for most of the game and then morph into John Elway just when things seem their bleakest. He has five 4th quarter comebacks in the past 28 games. This one easily being his best. Which quarterback is he though? The one that couldn’t do anything noteworthy for three quarters or the one who dissected Detroit down the stretch?
It’s Year 4 now and the Bears still don’t have a definitive answer. The divide on him seems wider than ever. Critics like Schein refuse to believe he can ever be anything worthwhile. Others think he has special traits in him and with a little more patience they’ll start to emerge more frequently.
At this point, all anybody can say for sure is Trubisky bought himself more time. How much more? That will depend on what happens next Sunday.