Is Mitch Trubisky’s ceiling high enough to regularly beat the Packers?

Mitch Trubisky is not quite as bad as Jay Cutler was in rivalry games, but you can see it from here.

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Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky calls a play Sunday.

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky calls a play Sunday.

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was known for a lot of things in Chicago: his cannon arm, his propensity to throw the ball to the wrong team and the legend — which he doesn’t deny — of him screaming “Don’t care!” at someone trying to chat him up at a urinal.

Somewhere on that list — perhaps between the “Smoking Jay” internet sensation and his select words for coordinator Mike Martz — is this: Cutler couldn’t beat the Packers. He went 2-11 against them during his career, infuriating Bears fans who merely had to look to the other sideline to see a true franchise quarterback.

Mitch Trubisky is starting to look the same way — as if he didn’t already have enough trouble with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes coming to town Sunday. He’s now 1-4 against the Packers in his career.

Cutler threw 1.2 touchdown passes per game against the Packers, 1.7 interceptions per game and won 15.4 percent of the time. Trubisky has averaged 0.8 passing touchdowns, 0.6 interceptions and has won 20 percent of the time.

Cutler completed 56.8 percent of his throws against the Packers and had a 68.9 passer rating. Trubisky: 60.7 percent and an 80 passer rating.

Trubisky isn’t quite as bad as Cutler in these rivalry games, but you can see it from here: He’s maybe one more bad performance away.

That should give the Bears pause. When they consider Trubisky’s future as a starter this offseason, they have to

wonder: Is his ceiling high enough to beat the Packers on a consistent basis?

If not, they need to find someone who can.

In 25 drives against the Packers this season, Trubisky led the Bears to exactly one touchdown. It came Sunday, with eight minutes to play and the Bears down by 15.

He has marched the Bears to three field goals against the Packers this year — and four turnovers. The Bears went three-and-out, or worse, six times.

Coach Matt Nagy’s play-calling against the Packers did Trubisky no favors. For Christmas, Trubisky should ask Nagy for a competent run game.

Still, Trubisky’s statistics jump off the page and have to concern the Bears. Are those the numbers of a player who rises to the occasion in the most important games of the year?

This season was a step back for Trubisky in so many ways. In his first year with Nagy in 2018, he led the Bears to four touchdowns, four field goals and two turnovers in 21 drives against the Packers. The Bears’ offense was responsible for 40 points against the Packers last year — and 16 this season.

How the Bears play against the Packers matters. Coach Dick Jauron went 2-8 against them. Dave Wannstedt went 1-11. Marc Trestman’s 55-14 loss to the Packers after a bye in 2014 so embarrassed the McCaskey family that Trestman’s firing — and that of general manager Phil Emery — was set into motion.

In 2017, quarterback Mike Glennon’s two interceptions and two lost fumbles at Lambeau Field led directly to his benching — and Trubisky’s debut the next game. Coach John Fox’s fate was all but sealed by the Bears’ ninth game that season, when the Packers traveled to Soldier Field. It provided the defining moment of his Bears career: He called for a replay review, thinking Benny Cunningham scored when he dove for the end zone at the front right pylon. The officials obliged, looked at the screen and gave the Packers the ball. Cunningham had, in fact, fumbled through the back of the end zone.

Those plays remained etched in Bears fans’ minds. Trubisky’s will live there, too, with no chance to fix them until next season.

If he’s lucky.

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