One drive by the Chicago Bears spoke volumes.
The Chicago Bears took on the New Orleans Saints in the Super Wild Card game on Sunday night and unfortunately it did not end the way fans wanted it to. Overall, the offense was impotent for the second straight game and never really seemed to get anything going.
However, one drive told fans everything they need to know about the state of this offense and whether head coach Matt Nagy trusts quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. For weeks, and since Trubisky’s return in Week 12, speculation has been building as to whether the Bears would bring Trubisky back next year.
Supporters of this decision would point to the huge increase in points per game over that stretch. Detractors would point to the level of competition and the fact that they bombed in their only two true tests against the Green Bay Packers and Saints.
Ian Rappoport reported that Trubisky would likely need a deep drive into the playoffs to earn the right to return next yer in Chicago, while Jason LaCanfora indicated he believes Trubisky gets a new deal.
Well, the reality is the final drive of the first half probably gave us our answer, and if that was any indication, it’s hard to imagine Trubisky coming back.
Let’s revisit that drive. The Bears took over at their own 18 yard line with 1:49 left in the half and two timeouts. They trailed the Saints 7-3 in a game in which both teams struggled to put points on the board.
In the modern era, 1:49 and two timeouts is an eternity. In a playoff game, you expect a team to be aggressive, especially in a one score game. In fact, Nagy even said before the game he wasn’t going to leave anything on the table.
Except in this exact situation, Nagy literally did the exact opposite. He didn’t cut it loose. Rather he held everything back and may end up full of regret because of it. That’s because he ran the ball on first, second, and third down, resulting in a punt on 4th and 2.
In that moment, we learned a lot about Nagy’s trust in Mitch Trubisky, and that is, it is non-existent. Again, in today’s NFL, if you don’t trust your quarterback to move the ball with 1:49, down three in a playoff game, then you likely don’t trust him enough to bring him back next season.
