Bears need more than flash plays from quarterback Mitch Trubisky

A three-TD flurry against the Lions showed he can make big throws, but Trubisky still has to prove he can do it consistently and against top-flight defenses.

SHARE Bears need more than flash plays from quarterback Mitch Trubisky
merlin_87717665.jpg

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) eludes Lions defensive end Trey Flowers (90) to make a play in the Bears’ 20-13 victory Sunday at Soldier Field.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photos

You know Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky had a pretty good day Sunday because one of his many good throws got lost in the shuffle.

‘‘The one that never got talked about — the best throw of the game — was the one he threw to A-Rob [Allen Robinson] down the left sideline when he got hit,’’ coach Matt Nagy said Monday. ‘‘Not a lot of guys make that throw. And he stood in there and made the throw, and A-Rob made a hell of a catch.’’

Nagy was referring to a 33-yard pass from Trubisky to Robinson in the third quarter, in which Trubisky threw off his back foot just before he was hit by Lions defensive end Trey Flowers. Considering Robinson beat Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay with a reaching grab, it was an even more impressive throw/catch than the more celebrated 18-yard touchdown pass from Trubisky to tight end Ben Braunecker in the last minute of the first half.

Nagy said the Trubisky-to-Robinson play is one that gives him confidence the success Trubisky had against the Lions can be sustained.

‘‘Just seeing that,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘When everybody does what they’re supposed to do, it’s good. When 11 guys do their job, then he’s able to be better at his job. That’s what you take away from it. Because if just one guy messes up a little bit, then sometimes it goes back to the quarterback.’’

Therein lies the quandary of Trubisky’s development: Every piece has to be in place for him to succeed. A negative play, a protection mishap, an unscouted look, more than 10 yards to go for a first down, a bad snap — almost anything that alters the plan throws Trubisky off his game.

A quality quarterback can overcome adversity to make something out of nothing. A great one can turn a bad play into a big one. Trubisky has the mobility and athletic ability to make those plays, but he isn’t there yet. His best success this season has happened in comfort zones, with the offense on a rare roll of continuity against bottom-five defenses.

On Sunday, Trubisky threw touchdown passes on three consecutive drives against a Lions defense ranked 31st in total yards and 30th in passing yards. He had a similar flurry in Week 3: touchdown passes on three consecutive drives against a Redskins defense ranked 30th in total yards and 25th in passing yards.

Those two games account for six of his eight touchdown passes. The other two were acknowledged ‘‘garbage time’’ touchdowns in a blowout loss to the Saints in Week 7.

Against the Lions, Trubisky got three low snaps from Cody Whitehair, who was playing his first game at center since last season. He scrambled for an incomplete pass on one, was sacked on another and scrambled for a three-yard gain on another. The last was a modestly encouraging positive play he salvaged from a mishap.

‘‘[Since] the beginning of the season, there haven’t been many of those using his legs,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘[On Sunday], you saw at least three where he used his legs in [challenging] situations, whether it was a snap or somebody ran a wrong route. So now you’ve got to adlib. . . . It might have been a three-yard gain, but it’s better than a four-yard loss.’’

To their credit, neither Trubisky nor Nagy nor quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone were celebrating Trubisky’s 131.0 passer rating — with three touchdowns but only 173 yards — as a revelatory event. It was encouraging, but it left a lot more for Trubisky to prove.

Make that throw to Robinson when Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is bearing down on you or hanging on to you, and the Bears might have a Trubisky event they truly can celebrate.

The Latest
As the death toll mounts in the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis worsens, protesters at universities all over the U.S. are demanding that schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies they say are enabling the conflict.
White Sox starter Chris Flexen delivered the best start of his season, throwing five scoreless innings, three walks and two strikeouts in Friday’s 9-4 win over the Rays.
Notes: Lefty Justin Steele threw in an extended spring training game Friday.
Imanaga held the Red Sox to one run through 6 1/3 innings in the Cubs’ 7-1 win Friday.
Hundreds of protesters from the University of Chicago, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago and Roosevelt University rallied in support of people living in Gaza.