Mitch Trubisky has had a rough sophomore season in Chicago, enough to the point that there was plenty of chatter regarding his job security as starting quarterback of the Bears prior to Sunday night's game against the Rams. So, when Trubisky was pulled during another lackluster performance on Sunday night, many people weren't buying the "hip injury" that apparently led to his removal.
According to Bears coach Matt Nagy, Trubisky was dealing with a hip issue on Sunday night, one that wore on him and affected his play as the game went on. That was Nagy's justification for going to backup quarterback Chase Daniel with three minutes left in the fourth quarter -- an undeniably late juncture to hand over the reigns.
#Bears Matt Nagy said he took Mitchell Trubisky out of the game because of his hip injury and "Not Feeling Right." @cbschicago
— Megan Mawicke (@MeganMawicke) November 18, 2019
Matt Nagy said Mitchell Trubisky was battling the hip injury late in the game. The Bears decided they couldn’t put him at risk. pic.twitter.com/atwrYpMhMx
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) November 18, 2019
While Nagy says he pleaded with Trubisky to be honest about his health status and how he was feeling during the second half of the contest, Trubisky's comments after the game suggested that the coach made the decision for the quarterback and not vice versa.
Trubisky said "They just decided..." "They made the call...they thought was best... ." That is not what Nagy described about demanding Mitch make the honest call. #Bears
— Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) November 18, 2019
With the surprisingly late substitution becoming a major talking point of the game, the discussion around why Trubisky was pulled (and what it means for his future as Bears starting quarterback) started to heat up. Some didn't question Nagy's reasoning and bought into the the hip injury explanation, but others were more skeptical.
Semi-conspiracy theorists figured it was just an excuse to get Trubisky out of the game as Chicago tried to get their offense going in the final minutes of the game, and some others suggested that Nagy may have been utilizing the tactic as a way to deflect some blame for how poorly the Bears played against Los Angeles.
I’ve said multiple times that Mitchell Trubisky isn’t the answer at QB long-term.
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) November 18, 2019
But benching him with 3 minutes left in the middle of a primetime game where he wasn’t even an issue?
Bad form from Matt Nagy. This move says everything you need to know about Trubisky’s future.
If Mitchell Trubisky has a hip injury I have a six pack of abs and *looks at stomach* pic.twitter.com/XAq0YVVcmo
— James Neveau (@JamesNeveau) November 18, 2019
Trubisky hurt his hip. Could he have probably played through it? Maybe, I dont know that. But I saw when he hurt it and I was next to him as he walked *slowly* off the field. Will he be the QB going forward? We will find out. But this notion that it’s a made up injury is silly.
— Shae Peppler Cornette (@shaepeppler) November 18, 2019
Mitchell Trubisky has a hip injury… pic.twitter.com/KuxR0pPYKo
— Nate Hamilton (@DomiNateFF) November 18, 2019
Benching Trubisky at this point is like a restaurant comping your meal after you get food poisoning. It's too late, I'm already sick.
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) November 18, 2019
But now that the ball is officially rolling on Sideline Trubisky, the real fun should unfold in the coming weeks. All eyes are now on Nagy and how he handles and utilizes his young quarterback moving forward. Whether Trubisky is truly hurt or not, he's likely going to be fighting for his job down the stretch, and Nagy could be right alongside him.