No. 1: Regardless of who starts, how big of a boost can the Week 1 starter gain?
It’s a shame the Chicago Bears can’t charge pay-per-view admission for this Trubisky vs. Foles competition, because those who enjoy flair and dramatics, are bound to get their money’s worth.
History tells us as much: over an eight-year career, Foles has only logged double-digit games in two seasons. And Trubisky has only one season under his belt where we haven’t at one point or another subconsciously wondered, “Now who’s the backup quarterback again?” The quarterback under center in Week One isn’t likely to run the table and start for the entire season. And for that reason, the bigger question becomes: who can create the most momentum?
Through that scope, Trubisky becomes the easier Week One play. He’s been historically dominant against the Lions — or at least as dominant as it gets for him — owning a 3-2 record, a 70.6 completion percentage, and 11 touchdowns to four interceptions.
You think about what a hot start not only does for Trubisky’s seemingly hot-and-cold confidence but also in how he can effectively loosen the leash a bit. In the ensuing weeks, the Bears play the Giants, Falcons, Colts, and Buccaneers.
Thinking about those four: Trubisky had positive moments against the Giants in last year’s 19-14 win, had the best game of his career (a six-touchdown game) against Tampa Bay, and the Falcons and Colts project as bottom-half pass defenses in 2020.
In a way, it makes part of me imagine that whoever starts Week One gets the upper hand, even if they don’t start for the entire season, given the seedy competition. Nagy already mentioned that the inaugural starter isn’t a guarantee, by any stretch, per Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Potash.
"“Whoever you end up naming the starter, you don’t know — for several reasons — how that’s going to go. You want to name a starter and . . . just win, win, win. You don’t know if that’s going to happen — whether that’s [because of] not playing well [or] injury. You have to be able to adapt to that.”"
On the flip side, Foles has been just as impressive. Here’s how they stack up historically against the Bears’ first four opponents.
Foles: (7-1 record) — 161-of-259, 1,828 yards, 14 TD, 6 INT
Trubisky: (5-2 record) — 161-of-234, 1,991 yards, 18 TD, 6 INT