Yahoo Lifestyle Mitchell Trubisky struggles badly, Jared Goff not much better in Rams' win over Bears
Jared Goff was once the first pick of the draft. He got a $134 million extension from the Los Angeles Rams.
Mitchell Trubisky was the second pick of the draft a year after Goff. He likely won’t be getting a nine-figure extension from the Chicago Bears.
Neither of these two 2018 division champions had anything resembling a 21st century offense. This was a game between the last two NFL coach of the year winners, both known for their offensive acumen, and they played one of the ugliest offensive games of the season.
The Rams won 17-7. They really didn’t deserve it. They tried to hide their $134 million quarterback all game, passing only when absolutely necessary. And the Bears still couldn’t win because Trubisky was awful. With a few minutes left in a horrible performance, Trubisky was lifted for Chase Daniel. The Bears announced that Trubisky had a hip injury, and Nagy said there was no other reason Trubisky came out of the game. It’s easy to be skeptical.
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Quarterbacks get too much blame when things go wrong. But there’s a reason they’re the most valuable players in all of sports. On Sunday, we saw what happens when neither team trusts its quarterback. And we saw Trubisky hit rock bottom.
Bears get nothing out of Mitchell Trubisky
In a way, the Rams’ stunningly conservative game plan said a lot about both quarterbacks.
The Rams really didn’t want Goff passing the ball unless he had to. And Rams coach Sean McVay clearly knew that Trubisky and the Bears offense could not beat them.
At least the Rams have shown signs of life on offense at times this season. The Bears are in really bad shape. It’s become a quicksand situation. Trubisky plays poorly and Matt Nagy’s play calling has gotten much more conservative because he doesn’t trust his quarterback. Then with simple play calls, Trubisky has gotten even worse. Trubisky was 24-of-43 for only 190 yards. It was bad. Even if Trubisky couldn’t play, Nagy said he played only a series or two with the injury. It wasn’t the only reason for his poor play.
The Bears’ offense was simply abysmal on Sunday night. The Rams seemed content to do nothing on offense and punt, because it was clear the Bears couldn’t do anything about it. The Bears had multiple chances in a one-score game to put together one drive and take a lead, and they never came close.
Rams didn’t let Jared Goff pass much
The Rams’ game plan was obvious from the beginning. They were going to ride Todd Gurley hard, and hide Goff the best they could.
The Rams were without top two receivers Brandin Cooks, who is out with a concussion, and Robert Woods, who was a surprise inactive because of a personal matter. Los Angeles’ offensive line is not good. The Bears have a good defense.
Still, the Rams’ simple and safe game plan was stunning. Goff passed six times the entire first half. He completed four, and two of those were to running back Todd Gurley. Goff had 89 yards in the first half and 50 of those came on one deep pass to Cooper Kupp, which set up a 1-yard touchdown.
When the Rams opened it up and Goff hit Josh Reynolds for a 51-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, it was taken off the board due to an illegal formation penalty. Still, Goff had his best drive of the game and led the Rams to a Malcolm Brown rushing touchdown with 3:31 left. That made it 17-7.
The way the Bears were playing offense, they could have played 12 more quarters and not scored 17 points. The Bears are 4-6 and to make it back to the playoffs, they probably have to win out. And perhaps they’ll be trying to do that with a new starting quarterback. At very least, it’s clear the Bears aren’t going anywhere with Trubisky.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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