National Football League

Stuck in Neutral

Published Oct. 30, 2020 4:59 p.m. ET

It might just be Mitch Trubisky time – again.

While Chicago sits at 5-2, tied with three other teams for the second-best record in the NFC after seven weeks of play, an anemic offense is cause for concern for the Bears.

Their offense ranks 27th in points per game with 19.7, and Chicago falls in the bottom four of the league in multiple other offensive statistics through seven games.

The Bears are 30th in yards per play (4.8), 30th in yards per run (3.8), 29th in yards per pass (5.6), 29th in total yards per game (308), 30th in third down conversions (35.1 percent) and 29th in red-zone efficiency (47.6 percent).

Each of their offensive woes were on full display in a 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

The Bears offense only produced three points, while being held to 279 total yards. A scoop-and-score from the Bears D on a Darrell Henderson fumble helped balance the final score, but Chicago's offensive shortcomings were apparent.

And now, as is the case every time an NFL offense struggles, all eyes are on the starting quarterback position, which was taken from Mitch Trubisky in Week 3 and given to Nick Foles.

On Monday, Foles had arguably his worst start of the season, failing to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in 2020, while tossing two interceptions.

And now, since Foles took over the starting job back in Week 4, Chicago's average of 263.0 yards per game ranks last in the NFL.

The numbers also paint a picture that shows the Bears might have pulled the trigger too soon on benching Trubisky.

In Weeks 1 and 2, with Trubisky as starter, the Bears averaged 22.0 points per game and were never held under 300 yards.

In four games with Foles as starter, the Bears are averaging just 16.0 points per game and have been held under 300 total yards in each game.

The offensive struggles are, in part, due to a shaky offensive line that has given up 15 sacks through seven games, tied for the eighth most in the league.

But with Trubisky representing the more mobile of the two quarterbacks – Trubisky has 949 rushing yards in 44 career starts compared to just 389 rushing yards for Foles in 52 career starts – it's fair to wonder if reinserting Trubisky back into the starting lineup could help the Chicago offensive line.

As of Tuesday, Bears head coach Matt Nagy doesn't believe turning back to Trubisky is the answer.

"Yeah, no ... I think you can look at that a bunch of different ways. When you say that in regards to a mobile quarterback, I'm not so sure that that's the answer with that, with what we're talking about, with the dropback of a quarterback and the offensive tackle situation.

"We have a lot of confidence, and I have a lot of confidence, in Nick right now."

While Nagy said he still has confidence in Foles, it looks like the same cannot be said in the opposite direction. Foles openly discussed his displeasure with Nagy's playcalling, according to ESPN analyst Brian Griese.

“We were talking to Nick Foles yesterday, and he said, 'You know, sometimes play calls come in, and I know that I don’t have time to execute that play call. You know, I’m the one out here getting hit."

Following the Monday night game, reporters addressed Foles regarding his comments, and he cited a miscommunication with Griese, denying a contenious relationship with his coach.

However, something clearly isn't working on offense, and since becoming the starter, Foles has individually performed worse than Trubisky individually.

It's unclear whether a second quarterback swap could bring life to the Chicago offense or not, but with three of the Bears' next four games coming against teams at .500 or better, the picture will become less hazy sooner rather than later.

If Foles can't turn it around, Nagy could find himself answering quarterback questions for weeks to come.