The sound of Chicagoans banging their heads against walls Sunday was no louder than any other Sunday of the last few NFL seasons. That is to say, it was deafening.
Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky was treating the viewing audience to what has become his standard fare of overthrown and underthrown passes. If there was one pass you prayed he’d complete on this day, it was the passing of the torch to backup Nick Foles.
But then something funny and unexpected and pretty wonderful happened. Trubisky went completely off script. That is to say, he was outstanding. He threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to lead the Bears to a 27-23 come-from-behind victory in Detroit.
Yes, these certainly were the woebegone Lions, and, yes, Mitch certainly was not very good in the first three quarters. One more yes: Yes, Detroit almost surely would have won the game if rookie running back D’Andre Swift had not dropped a sure touchdown pass with six seconds left.
But we have to give Trubisky his due after giving him so much doo-doo in the past.
On any other team, in any other world, you could say with some confidence that a downtrodden quarterback who brought his team back to victory had probably just saved his job. But these are the Bears, and they’ve stood by Trubisky through some thick and an ocean of thin. There was no way they’d entertain the idea publicly that his job had been in jeopardy Sunday. Possibly not even privately.
All I know is that if Foles had picked up a football and started warming up on his own in the third quarter, most of Chicago and a decent percentage of the Bears’ roster would have wept tears of joy. That’s how nondescript Trubisky’s play was. That’s how far his team seemed to be from victory in the season opener. He had “led’’ a 14-second possession near the end of the first half, OK? It was a three-and-out that apparently wanted to get out of town fast. It gave the Lions enough time to score a touchdown and head into halftime leading 13-6.
It would make Trubisky’s turnaround all the more impressive. That’s another way of saying, quarterback controversy? What quarterback controversy?
The Bears trailed 23-6 when Trubisky came to his own rescue. He hit Jimmy Graham with a two-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. Here came the Comeback Kid? Not quite yet. On the next drive, Trubisky fumbled while being sacked, leading to a 28-yard loss, a Bears punt and renewed talk of his inadequacies.
OK, then he heated up, completing five straight passes on a touchdown drive that included a phenomenal one-handed grab by Anthony Miller. A Kyle Fuller interception gave the Bears the ball back. You knew what that meant. You didn’t know what that meant? It meant Mitch time! You’re forgiven. You’re terribly out of practice. Trubisky’s third touchdown pass was perfectly located for a diving Miller. With 1:54 left, the Bears had their first lead.
For the historical record, it needs to be pointed out, again, that the Bears surely would have lost this game if not for Swift’s drop. He was wide open. The ball was in his hands. Then it wasn’t.
Instead, we’re talking about a Bears victory. Say hello to your hero. No, not Swift. Trubisky.
Not only did Mitch lead his team to victory in dramatic fashion, afterward he set a world record for most clichés in a single response to a reporter’s question. You can’t teach either accomplishment.
“For me, it’s just one game at a time,’’ he said. “This is only one game. I’ve got to continue to stay focused, to stay in this mental space that I’m in and just keep getting after it every single week. If you’re focused on writing the story while you’re going through it, then you kind of distract yourself. It’s better to just stay present, live in the moment. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.’’
I have no idea what Trubisky will write next week against the Giants, but if I had to choose between improvement and a return to dark times, I’d go with Same Old Mitch. That’s based on three previous seasons of evidence. But what a tale it would be if the Bears suddenly found the quarterback they thought they had when they drafted him second overall in the 2017 draft. I don’t see it happening, but I’m open to the possibility. I like the story where the down-and-out nobody becomes somebody.
Nothing could overshadow Trubisky’s big day.
Unless it was Cubs pitcher Alec Mills’ no-hitter against the Brewers.
