Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky has made the most out of his return to the starting lineup. And that’s just one of the reasons for the team’s sudden and unexpected return to playoff contention.
The offense has improved significantly. After Sunday’s win over the Vikings, coach Matt Nagy identified three factors during a phone conversation with PFT.
First, Nagy said the offensive line has shown significant consistency over the past four weeks. The bye week results in some shuffling of the line, and it has worked. Communication has improved, performance has improved, and as a result the offense has improved.
Second, Nagy explained that the offense has been able to implement its preseason intention to reduce heavy reliance of the offense on shotgun formation. Previously, the offense that Nagy brought from Kansas City utilized shotgun nearly 90 percent of the time. “That’s not the case anymore,” Nagy said, adding that putting the quarterback under center more frequently is “helping our offense,” and that the challenge now becomes staying ahead of a new set of tendencies before defenses adjust to the revised offensive attack.
Third, Trubisky’s benching may have been the best thing that ever happened to him. Nagy said that, in practice, Trubisky has become more assertive and confident. As a result, he has taken command of the offense. The threat of Trubisky running the ball has helped the effort, too.
It’s allowed the Bears to win two in a row after losing six in a row, pulling them to 7-7 with two game to play. The Bears need help, but first they have to help themselves to a pair of wins to end the campaign.
Then things will get very interesting, given that Trubisky is due to become a free agent in March.
