Mitch Trubisky had himself a day Sunday against the Detroit Lions. At least, he had himself a day compared to the games he's put on the board so far this season.
At first glance, his 173 yards and three touchdowns are solid if not spectacular. It's noteworthy any time a quarterback tosses three scores, but the underwhelming 173-yard output lessens the overall 'wow' factor of Trubisky's performance in the Bears' 20-13 win over the Lions. Unless, of course, you're NBC Sports' Peter King.
"With the weight of the world (and, presumably, the weight of every TV in Halas Hall) falling heavy on his shoulders, Trubisky suffered through a typically maddening first half, throwing for 15 yards in the first 25 minutes," King wrote on Monday. "But he recovered before halftime with one TD drive, and he threw lovely TD passes to Tarik Cohen and Taylor Gabriel in the third quarter. That was enough to silence the wolves (including the one typing these words) for at least another week. Hand it to Trubisky (16 of 23, 173 yards, three TDs, no picks, 131.0 rating) for performing under the greatest pressure a quarterback could have. You can’t tell me he wasn’t wondering deep down if the guys on his own team trusted him to walk their dogs. And he came through with a good performance in a 20-13 win over the Lions."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Is this where we're at with Trubisky? A game that seems like a typical day at the office for an above-average quarterback is suddenly a 'stop-the-presses moment' for a player who was hand-picked over two of the most jaw-dropping quarterbacks in the NFL?
There are two ways of looking at the Trubisky saga: If you're an optimist, you buy-in. You feel good about what you saw from No. 10 in Week 10 and think it's the beginning of a turnaround that's been a long time coming. If you're a pessimist, you're reacting to Sunday's game with nothing more than an it's-about-time exhale.
Either way, this drama is far from over. There are seven games left on the schedule; they're all do-or-die for both the Bears and Trubisky's future at Halas Hall.
Trubisky can enjoy a week of positivity and optimism. He's earned it. And if he stands tall in the pocket and delivers missiles against the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 11? That optimism will slowly turn into confidence, which up to this point, has been hard to find with the Bears.