The Chicago Bears quarterback competition is gaining intensity with each practice. Through three days of on-field work, most media members have the scorecard at Mitch Trubisky winning over Nick Foles 2-1. The incumbent starter delivered back-to-back days of sharp workouts while his challenger continues to look somewhat uneven at times.
However, looks can be deceiving. One thing about Foles is he continues to look strong in situational drills. These are times when reading the defense and making a play in game-like scenarios are required. On top of that, there is a general consensus that the veteran has also looked way better in another aspect of the game. Something Trubisky has struggled with for years.
The deep ball.
Last season, he completed just 34.4% of passes going 20 yards or more down the field. That ranked him 27th in the NFL. It wasn’t much better in 2018 either as he finished 25th that season. This is no doubt a source of frustration for Matt Nagy who made it clear from the moment he arrived that deep shots were “never going to stop” in this offense.
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It’s kind of hard to encourage that when your QB can’t consistently hit them.
This is why Nick Foles is far from out in this battle
The bottom line is only the Bears coaches know what the grading scale is for this competition. What the media sees as a superior practice run for Trubisky might not actually be the case. Do better execution in situational drills and better deep completions gain more points? That could be possible. Either way, it’s a reminder that Foles should not in any way be counted out.
If there’s one thing that remains true of the longtime vet, he always finishes stronger than he starts. Trubisky has no reason to feel comfortable with a 2-1 lead in this race. He had a 15-10 lead a year and a half ago don’t forget and that didn’t end up working out. This is a battle that he’ll have to see through all the way to the end.