Mitch Trubisky had his best game as the Chicago Bears quarterback last Sunday against the Detroit Lions. He threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns and would’ve had over 400 with four touchdowns if not for two dropped passes. Either way, he paid them back in full for their humiliating him last year with three interceptions towards the end of the season.
For weeks teammates have said that Trubisky’s improvement is most noticeable not when he throws but before the snap. His ability to read the defense and get everybody lined up into the proper play. It happened so fast on Sunday but the first drive of the game was an absolute masterclass in what they’ve been talking about.
Here’s a breakdown of the key plays during that series and an explanation of how Trubisky was able to slice and dice the Lions defense.
Play #1: Mitch Trubisky reads 6-man box and goes with Jordan Howard run
This is basic football understand for a quarterback. Read what the defense has in front of you. In this case, how many men do they have lined up in the box? If it’s six or fewer, the common wisdom is to run the ball. Trubisky understands this and runs the original play after his examination. Howard gets the handoff and has a nice lane to pick up nine yards.
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Play #2: Gets ball out fast and on target to Tarik Cohen for 1st down
This play is a simple one but it’s actually hard to execute. Trubisky has to take the snap, turn and fire an accurate ball to Cohen that allows him to still have the momentum to make a move for the first down. That means his feet and his shoulders had to be in the right position. Trubisky turns his entire body so that his hips are square and he fires it on target. Cohen catches it in stride, makes a move and gets the first.
Play #3: Audibles the play and hits a curl pass to Anthony Miller
Trubisky uses the hard count here to get the Lions to declare their intentions. In this case, it’s apparent they plan to rush four and drop six into coverage. After seeing this, he audibles the play. Trey Burton moves further outside to spread the coverage out. Cohen is left in the backfield though, forcing the defense to leave one man to account for him. That gives Anthony Miller some space to work. He runs a sharp curl and Trubisky hits him for eight.
Play #4: Zone-read, keeps the ball and fires pass to open Trey Burton
This is where Trubisky’s running skill becomes so valuable. The Lions can’t afford to not account for it on this zone-read play. Trubisky has a choice. Either give the ball to Cohen on a run or pull it back and fire a pass to Burton. Before the snap, he sees six defenders in the box with Burton in single coverage against a soft zone. That makes the decision clear. He fakes to Cohen and fires a pass to his tight end for an easy first down.
Play #5: Audibles again, hits Cohen on the outlet
Notice here how the hard count shows the Lions are likely rushing four but only have two linebackers in the middle of the field. Trubisky audibles the play knowing that a linebacker can’t possibly cover enough to prevent Cohen from getting open. Sure enough, the running back pops free after shaking one of the backers and Trubisky hits him for seven. Had he not juggled the ball, it might’ve been a first down.
Play #6: Trubisky reads blitz, audibles, and hits Allen Robinson on a slant
Having failed to get home with four to this point, the Lions decide they’re going to bring an extra man on a delayed blitz. Unfortunately, they give this away when Trubisky uses the hard count. Notice how the two defenders behind the line of scrimmage get caught leaning forward? Trubisky did. He reads blitz and audibles the play. In these situations, the thing to do is run a quick pass of some kind.
That’s exactly what he does. Trubisky fires a slant to Allen Robinson who then takes it all the way down to 3-yard line. Cohen would score with a run on the next play. Just a brilliantly orchestrated drive by the young Bears quarterback.
