Mitch Trubisky era starts by making unlikely history
It turns out that Baltimore is the place where rookie quarterbacks go to be humbled. It had been over a decade since a first-year QB had gone on the road into that stadium and won a game. Head coach John Harbaugh sported a perfect 12-0 record including the playoffs. The last man to try it was Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. He had a tough afternoon.
This is not to say Trubisky single-handedly made the breaking of this streak possible. He got a big assist from three defensive turnovers and 167 rushing yards from Jordan Howard. At the same time, the Bears asked him to make a play he always seemed to deliver. He had a beautiful touchdown pass to Dion Sims in the first half and then converted the crucial third down that put them in field goal range in overtime.
It was a gutty, inspiring performance from a rookie with the expectations of an entire, QB-starved fan base on his shoulders. For him to deliver when the chips were down like that is a big deal. Yes there is still plenty of work for him to do. He’s far from polished in a number of areas. That should come with more time, practice and experience. He’s already made progress.
Not to mention a little history along the way too. Hopefully that’s just the first taste of things to come. It will fall to the Bears coaches and front office to make that happen.