Since championship games were first implemented way back in the late 1930s, the Chicago Bears have participated in a total of 25 playoff games, winning 17 and losing 18 over that span. Not the best record considering their rich heritage. So that begs the question. What has lent to their struggles the most? Unsurprisingly, it’s been the quarterbacks. There’s a reason all eyes are on Mitch Trubisky this Sunday.
For all the talk over the years about needing a great defense to win, there’s a reason for that. It’s because more often than not the Bears needed one in order to counteract how average, below average, or outright terrible their QB situation was. To get a proper gauge on what they’ve dealt with over the years, I decided to dig into every starting QB playoff performance the Bears have ever had.
Keep in mind the numbers are only focused on those who started the game. Backups will not be included because often they come in when a game is out of hand and have good numbers that ultimately don’t impact the final outcome. Doing it this way keeps the data as clean as possible. The results? Horrific in many cases, but also exceedingly interesting.
Mitch Trubisky has a low bar to clear for a shot to beat Eagles
What stood out most is how incredibly lopsided the stats are. The numbers Bear quarterbacks put up in victories are drastically different from those they put up in losses. Here’s an explanation. In their 17 victories to date, starting QBs have posted 20 touchdown passes to seven interceptions and an averaged out 93.40 passer rating. Solid.
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In losses? They’ve thrown eight touchdowns to a staggering 33 interceptions for a 40.72 passer rating. What’s most amazing is that to date in 25 playoff games, a Bears team has never lost a playoff game when their quarterback was able to post a passer rating over 70. The highest one ever put up in a losing effort was, surprisingly, Rex Grossman in Super Bowl XLI with a 68.3.
Per @StatsBySTATS, QB Mitchell Trubisky’s passer rating improved from 77.5 last season to 95.4 this season, a 17.9 increase, which is the biggest increase in the league among QBs who qualified in both seasons.
— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) January 3, 2019
For those wondering, this means if Trubisky were to play something close to his Arizona game (24-of-35, 220 yards, 1 INT) which was a 73.5 passer rating, the Bears will win. Obviously, that’s being a little too literal. Instead one must look at the overall average of 93.40. This would be closer to 260 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
Not eye-popping numbers but solid and efficient. Given how good the Bears defense is this year, there’s no reason to think any more than that will be required to beat Philadelphia. Since last year Chicago is 8-3 in games where Trubisky has posted a passer rating of 90 or higher. He doesn’t need to be the hero. Just don’t be the goat.
