Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky is throwing for a lot of yards because he’s not throwing for a lot of yards.
Trubisky averaged only 4.2 air yards — the distance between the line of scrimmage and the intended receiver — on his pass attempts Sunday against the Texans, the second-lowest total in the league. His 2.9 air yards per completion was fourth-lowest, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
A week earlier, against the Lions, both Trubisky’s 4.5 air yards per completion and 6.4 air yards per attempt ranked eighth-lowest in the league.
And yet, the last two weeks, Trubisky ranks fourth in the NFL with a 117.4 passer rating and 11th with 534 passing yards. Only three teams have scored more points than the Bears’ 66.
The reason, beside a small sample size and facing two terrible defenses: Trubisky is delivering the ball on time and allowing his pass catchers to run. Sunday alone, 190 of Trubisky’s 267 passing yards came after the catch.
The last two weeks, Allen Robinson is seventh among receivers in the NFL in receiving yards. David Montgomery is fifth among running backs, and Cole Kmet is 10th among tight ends.
“Anytime for me when I find a completion and I get the ball into a playmaker’s hands, I think good things are going to happen,” Trubisky said.
Is that by design — the Bears have reworked their offense to better showcase Trubisky’s athleticism — or because of a shift in the quarterback’s mentality?
“Probably both,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said.
By focusing on play-action, motion and flank attacks, the Bears’ new scheme doesn’t require Trubisky to make difficult throws. That’s not to say Trubisky hasn’t made good decisions — the unforgivable fumble that turned a win against the Lions into a loss is the only blemish he’s had in the past two games.
“I think guys are starting to understand how it all fits together ...” said offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who has called plays for the last four games. “I just think it’s all working together. And as far as Mitch and how he’s playing, that is NFL quarterbacking.”
While that doesn’t warrant a parade, it’s certainly progress — both for him and the Bears’ offense. The question, entering a must-win game against the Vikings on Sunday, is whether either is sustainable.
Earlier this week, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo detailed an example of what Trubisky did right Sunday: in the first quarter, he faked a handoff and looked deep to his first option, rookie receiver Darnell Mooney on a deep cross. Mooney was covered by a cornerback that fell off Javon Wims’ post route. A linebacker turned his back to Trubisky and sprinted down the field, playing zone defense underneath Mooney.
That left tight end Jimmy Graham wide open in the left flat. Trubisky dropped the pass off and he rumbled for 12 yards.
“I think a lot of it is, ‘Are you throwing the ball on time? Is the ball coming out of your hand on time?’” DeFilippo said.
Trubisky himself gave an example of what he did wrong: In his first game back, he threw deep into double coverage. Packers safety Darnell Savage caught the ball in the end zone in stride.
“If they’ve got two guys back there and we’ve got a one-on-one [elsewhere], it’d be a lot smarter to throw it to the one-on-one,” Trubisky said, knowing he was stating the obvious.
At the time, Trubisky said the Bears wanted to be aggressive. It’s hard to imagine them wanting Trubisky to try it again.
“It’s all about playing smarter football, making good decisions with the football and getting it into our playmakers’ hands,” he said. “I think that’s how you take what the defense gives you. And you’ve got to either find the zones or find the one-on-one matchups. And I think that gives you your best chance on offense.”
