No. 2 — QB storylines abound, regardless of who starts?
When the games kick off, it doesn’t matter who runs out to orchestrate that huddle. Be it Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles, Rex Grossman, whomever you want. The way the Chicago Bears’ 2020 schedule lines up, it promises to be must-watch (or maybe not?).
Chicago Bears fans were given a reason to root for a Trubisky sighting in Week One. Given the storyline regarding the Bears declining his fifth-year option, thus making this another must-produce season, chances are, there are few teams Trubisky would like to see more than the Detroit Lions.
In five career games against the Lions, the former No. 2 pick has gone 3-2 through five games, going 117-of-167, 1,359 yards, 11 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and a 106.3 quarterback rating.
As for the next 15 weeks, perhaps, perhaps not. But, here are some of the key games the schedule will bless us with, as it relates to quarterback intrigue.
In a best-case scenario, the Chicago Bears are jousting for Playoff positioning in December. And in Week 16, they travel out to Jacksonville for a late-season NFC-AFC tilt. Can you say Nick Foles?
No one knows how this quarterback carousel will play out, but in May, it has the excitement of a potential revenge game for Foles. And Trubisky — bless his heart, he’s always got a fan in me — may not be the best option in December. In 18 career December games, Foles is 11-7, and produces his highest marks (yards, touchdowns, QB rating, etc), in the most critical stretches. That’s just the way he operates.
Nick Foles' last pass before being out for 10 weeks? Touchdown to DJ Chark.
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 17, 2019
Nick Foles' pass just now? Touchdown to DJ Chark.
(via @Jaguars)pic.twitter.com/p6cAxiNpH1
If not, Trubisky perhaps has a few games circled on the calendar in his own right. He became the public’s whipping boy after Patrick Mahomes sizzled and filleted him on Sunday Night Football in Week 16. This year, he has a chance to play against another superstar quarterback who surpassed him in the 2016 Draft class with Deshaun Watson coming to town in Week 14.
The fact is, in one way or another the words “quarterback” and “Chicago Bears” have rarely mixed with palatable results. But perhaps the storylines and payback opportunities provide them with the extra gumption they need to produce in 2020.