Chicago Bears Quarterback Battles: Mitchell Trubisky versus Sam Darnold

Trubisky vs. Darnold: Win-Loss, Quarterback Rating and QBR

Win-Loss Record

When we look at these two quarterbacks over the last two years, Trubisky comes out way ahead with a 19-10 record compared to Darnold who has an 11-15 record. Now, we need to point out that a win-loss record cannot fall strictly on the quarterback’s shoulders. The Chicago Bears defense played a big part in the Bears wins in both 2018 and 2019. The Jets defense on the other hand was not great in 2018, but 10th in defensive DVOA in 2019. Defense clearly matters.

Quarterback Rating and QBR

Realize that quarterback rating and QBR are not the same things. QBR takes rushing yards into account whereas quarterback rating does not. When we look at the last two years, Trubisky has a quarterback rating of 88.7. This is not great, but let’s be honest, it is good enough to start in the NFL. In comparison, Darnold has a career 81.1 percent rating.

When we take rushing into account along with passing stats and look at QBR, Trubisky once again comes out on top. He had an amazing 71.0 rating, which was third-best in the NFL in 2018. That number dropped drastically in 2019 though. He wound up with a 39.5. Darnold beat him in 2019 with a 43.6 QBR but fell short by a longshot in 2018 with a 45.5.

Mitchell Trubisky wins.