After two lackluster games in his third NFL season, is Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky at risk of being labeled a bust?

As I sit here and watch the Chicago Bears play in the 4th quarter against the Denver Broncos, I can’t help but think that we may have a genuine NFL Draft bust on our hands in starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. I don’t make that claim lightly. Ifact I like Mitchell Trubisky the person. He seems like a genuinely good kid, who wants to win and do the right things.

His performance on the field on the other hand, is another matter entirely. Despite being named to the NFL Pro Bowl in 2018 as a replacement player and having the league’s third best QBR last season, his performance thus far this year has left many Bears fans wondering if he is the long-term answer at quarterback.

He did nothing to quell those thoughts against the Broncos. He consistently under-threw or over-threw open receivers throughout the entire game. It never seemed like he got himself or the Bears offense in any kind of a rhythm and what should have been a laughable game against Denver, turned into a slug fest down to the very end.

This is all on Trubisky’s inability to move the offense and put points on the board. Look, I wish this were not the case. We all want this kid to succeed and to end his career with more Super Bowl titles than Tom Brady…but come on Mitch, you’re not helping us here. Through eight quarters of football thus far this season, you’ve failed to throw a single NFL touchdown.

Meanwhile in Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes, who was drafted eight spots after Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft, has 7 TD passes in the same amount of quarters. If you are keeping track of Mahomes from last year, that’s 57 touchdown passes over the course of his first 18 NFL starts. Trubisky has 31 touchdown passes over the course of 26 starts.

For those who claim that hindsight is 20/20…think again. Mahomes was the more experienced and accomplished collegiate quarterback. His talent is indisputable, just look at the tape. Trubisky meanwhile, looks lost at times. As if these moments are too big for him. This may be unfair criticism, but in the high stakes game that is the NFL, every game matters.

Yes, he made a big throw to Allen Robinson in the last few seconds of the game against Denver to setup the game winning field goal by kicker and new fan favorite Eddy Pineiro, however, it should not have come down to that. The Bears were fortunate the referees acknowledged their calling of a timeout with one second left. It could have gone the other way.

With all of this said, let’s hope this is just Mitchell Trubisky shaking off the cob webs. The Bears have a very winnable game against the Washington Redskins and if there were ever a moment for Trubisky to have a breakout game for 2019, this would be it. I speak for Bears fans everywhere in that we want him to succeed. The rest is up to him. Let’s hope he proves us all wrong.