The Chicago Bears know their season is on the line on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Once again their road to the playoffs will have to go through the Green Bay Packers. A task that has proven all too challenging in the past quarter-century. Many reasons have been offered for why the Bears have struggled so often to get past their bitter rivals. The simplest answer is always the best though. A stark difference at the quarterback position. This is why Mitch Trubisky will hold the fate of the team in his hands on Sunday.
People might not have a true understanding of the truth behind this reality. So here's a breakdown. In the past 10 years going back to 2009, the Bears are currently 4-18 against the Packers. Here's where it gets really depressing though. When Chicago has gotten a passer rating of at least 90 out of their quarterback in a game against Green Bay, they have a 3-2 record. When they fail to reach that mark, the team is 1-16.
Think about that. The Bears have only posted a 90+ passer rating against the Packers five times in 10 years, which is depressing enough. Yet they also have a winning record against them when it happens. However, there is a small silver lining to this. Of those five performances, Trubisky is responsible for two of them. So it offers some hope that he might be able to deliver again this weekend.
Mitch Trubisky will have to overcome the weather
It isn't just the Packers defense that Trubisky will have to deal with on Sunday either. He will contend with some rather bitter weather conditions too. The latest projections say it will be around 15 degrees at kickoff with the wind making it feel like one above zero. Those types of situations make throwing a football difficult and the Bears quarterback hasn't proven entirely reliable when the temperature dips. He's played two games below 30 degrees in his career. He completed a combined 56.6% of his passes with one touchdown and three interceptions in those contests.
Needless to say, he'll have to be better than that. The Packers are not infallible. They can be beaten. That's been proven multiple times in just the past month and a half. It's a matter of the quarterback playing with efficiency. Trubisky failed in his first attempt on opening night. This time can be different. He's playing some of his best football in recent weeks with six touchdown passes and just two interceptions against Detroit and Dallas. Everybody knows this animal is different though.
If he wants to show everybody that he is still the guy in Chicago, this is the game to prove it.
