Chicago Bears: Breakdown of Mitch Trubisky’s fourth-quarter comeback

Mitch Trubisky found his groove

Things were looking bleak for the Chicago Bears down 23-6 and Trubisky struggling. There are some reasonable qualifiers that Trubisky doubters will bring up, including going against a weak Lions’ defense with a depleted secondary. Detroit was without corners Justin Coleman and Desmond Trufant by the fourth quarter and third-overall pick Jeff Okudah missed the game entirely.

What is important to note however is that the Lions’ replacements provided decent coverage and Trubisky was accurate in hitting the throwing windows that were given to him.

The quarter started with a must-have fourth and one from the Lions’ 10-yard-line. The play call from Coach Matt Nagy showed the clever offensive movement that gave the Bears spacing throughout much of the final frame. Mitch Trubisky faked the hand-off to David Montgomery before pitching the ball to Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson took the play wide and used his speed to get passed the first-down marker.

A couple of plays later, Mitch Trubisky made the first of several great reads and throws during the Chicago Bears’ comeback. He recognized the pre-snap matchup that tight end Jimmy Graham had with a smaller defensive back. Trubisky threw a fade for an easy pitch-and-catch touchdown, his first of the day.

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The Bears’ next drive exposed some of the weaknesses in Mitch Trubisky’s game. Conventional passing plays without an open first read often result in disaster for Chicago’s signal-caller. That has been the case throughout his career. Whether out of shotgun or a traditional drop back from under center, the offense stalled and was forced to punt.