When Mitch Trubisky went down with a left shoulder injury just a few plays into Week 4's game against the Vikings, it felt like the Chicago Bears' 2019 season was on the brink of disaster. Trubisky hasn't been great this season, but he is the starting quarterback. Usually, when a starting quarterback is lost to injury, trouble looms.
That wasn't the case for the Bears Sunday. Chase Daniel entered the game and didn't miss a beat. In fact, the offense looked better than it has most of the season because of his calm, composed and confident demeanor. Sure, it's only one game. And no, a quarterback controversy hasn't sparked just yet. But if he slings the ball in London as he did at Soldier Field, get your popcorn ready.
The analytics agree that Daniel was superb against a strong Vikings defense. He was Chicago's highest-graded offensive player by Pro Football Focus, registering an 83.8 grade. Allen Robinson was second at 77.8.
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Daniel's 83.8 grade is way above his career average for PFF. His best season-long mark with at least 35 passes is 68.1 back in 2013 with the Chiefs. So was Sunday's game an aberration?
Daniel had two starts for the Bears in 2018 and threw a total of 98 passes. He earned a 57.6 grade. Not good, and certainly not consistent with how he played against Minnesota.
The fascinating thing about Daniel is despite his status as a decade-plus veteran of the NFL, there just isn't a large enough sample size to know if he can actually be a competent starter. He's thrown five or less passes in six of his pro seasons.
Can he string together a few quality starts and challenge for his first real starting opportunity in the league? Maybe. Trubisky hasn't done enough to suggest the answer is a resounding no. But Daniel's incomplete history suggests patience is required before making that leap.
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For one week, at least, he was a stud.