The Bears Offense Has Failed Mitchell Trubisky

Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has been the NFL's most scrutinized and mocked quarterback this season. The former second overall pick has faced harsh criticism on both a local and national level. For as bad as Trubisky has been, the offense has a whole deserves to share in the blame.

The criticism started following the team's opening night when they lost to the Packers by a score of 10-3. Trubisky passed for 228 yards, but was widely inaccurate and threw a costly interception in the end-zone late in the game. Head coach Matt Nagy was partially responsible as the offense generated 254 yards total and had only 14 rushing attempts in the game.

From that point on, Trubisky has been fighting an uphill battle with the media and fans to prove that he is better. The Bears running game, receivers, offensive line, and tight ends have all underperformed this season, but have not been scrutinized like their quarterback.

Chicago's running game has been one of the worst in the league in both attempts and yardage. Starting running back David Montgomery has had just a 100-yard rushing game this season. Nagy has failed to commit to the running game consistently. The team as a whole has generated only 799 rushing yards through the first 10 games. Through the first 10 games of last season, the offense racked up 1,248 rushing yards. That number is troubling as the running game featured Jordan Howard in 2018, a running back that didn't fit Nagy's offense. Montgomery was drafted this season as the perfect back for the offense going forward.

The wide receivers have regressed too, as outside of Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, the Bears have gotten little production from their other receivers. Anthony Miller, Javon Wims, and Cordarrelle Patterson have combined for 38 receptions and just one receiving touchdown. Miller, who is seen as the team's big-play receiver, has only three catches over 25 yards or longer this season and has not recorded a touchdown.

Chicago's wide receivers also rank second in the league in dropped passes with 17. Some of those drops have come in costly situations that have had an impact on the game. A few weeks ago in Philadelphia, Montgomery dropped a screen pass that would have gone for over 25 yards and given the Bears a chance to take a 21-19 lead over the Eagles. Last week in Los Angeles, Gabriel dropped a pass over the middle that would have converted a fourth and nine deep in Rams territory.

Chicago has had very little production from their tight end position as the team's four tight ends have combined for 29 receptions and just one touchdown. The tight end position is vital for Nagy's offense to be successful. Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen have struggled to make an impact this season as they have dealt with injuries and an inability to get open. Burton was placed on IR last week and Shaheen may not play another game this season due to poor play.

Another group that has regressed has been the offensive line. Last season, they were great in pass-blocking, run-blocking, and avoiding penalties. This season has been the complete opposite as the offensive line has allowed 30 sacks. In 2018, Bears quarterbacks were sacked a total of 34 times the entire season. Last season, the offensive line had seven games through the first 10 in which the team registered 100 yards or more on the ground. In 2019, the team has only had two games over 100 rushing yards or more.

Nagy and his coaching staff deserve responsibility for the regression as all the positions have underperformed. Throughout the season, the struggles have continued without any sign of improvement. When hired, offensive line coach Harry Heistad was viewed as the best coach at the position, but little has been seen from a development or improvement standpoint for some of the players on the offensive line.

Trubisky deserves to be criticized for his inaccuracy and failure to go through his progressions, but the offense's failure as a whole is not on him. A quarterback is only as good as the supporting cast that he has around him, and right now the offense as a whole is underperforming. an ineffective running game, poor pass-blocking, and drops from receivers will have an effect on how a quarterback is able to perform, that needs to be taken into account for the Bears embattled quarterback.