Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky the key to Wild Card win

In the Wild Card Round, the Chicago Bears need to have Mitchell Trubisky play within himself to come away with another victory.

Well, this is it. The week we’ve all been waiting for. The Chicago Bears open their playoff run this week. They host the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round. This is the first time they make a playoff appearance since the NFC Championship game in the 2010 season.

Even finishing the season with a 12-4 record, many in the national media still doubt the Bears. In addition to the great record, they’ve also won nine of their last 10 games. Despite that, many mention the Dallas Cowboys or Seattle Seahawks as being the hottest teams in the NFL.

Another team mentioned as being hot is the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ve won 5 of their last 6 games. They needed the Bears to beat the Minnesota Vikings in the last game of the season in order for them to make it to the playoffs, however. There are quite a few people who feel the Eagles can upset the Bears.

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There is one person who can prevent that from happening, though — Mitchell Trubisky.

Trubisky has taken a beating nationally this season. While many Chicago Bears fans are ecstatic to have a franchise quarterback, some don’t see the hype around him. Some went as far as to say that he might not even be on the Bears roster in two years.

Going into the game, many fans feel anxious about Cody Parkey and his leg. He’s missed 10 of his kicks this season (seven field goals and three extra points). He is a concern, of course, but if Trubisky does what he needs to do the Bears won’t need Parkey in a crucial situation.

Trubisky has run the offense pretty well. The Bears rank ninth in points scored. He had a six-game stretch in which he had 17 touchdown passes against just four interceptions. He had a passer rating of 114.8 during that time.

Trubisky just needs to run the offense the way he’s done for most of the season. He doesn’t need to play hero ball. Yes, the Bears need him to play well, but he doesn’t need to play like Tom Brady or Joe Montana. He needs to trust head coach Matt Nagy and take what the defense gives him.

The problem Trubisky has sometimes is that he tries too hard to make a great play. Take the game against the Los Angeles Rams for example. Yes, he came back after a two-week absence due to a shoulder injury. He readily admitted, however, that it wasn’t so much rust as it was him trying too hard. He made some bad overthrows throughout the game.

Nagy was asked what message he had for Trubisky, per ESPN.com:

"To not change. For him to continue to do just what he does. Don’t put any extra added pressure on himself, don’t do it as coaches. We need to be there to help him."

Trubisky needs to do what he usually does — go primarily with short-to-intermediate passes to soften the defense, then try to go over the top to complete a big pass. Additionally, he needs to use his legs. If receivers aren’t open, don’t try to force it. He’s done a great job of running to either extend a play or getting first downs.

Also, Nagy has to use Jordan Howard to help run the clock. He’s been up to his old self the last five games and if he does that again it’ll ease the pressure on Trubisky. The Eagles rank 21st in average yards per carry so Howard can have some good runs. Add in Tarik Cohen and the Bears running game can be lethal. If that happens, the Bears will win going away.

The Eagles defense ranks 30th in passing yards allowed and 25th in interceptions. Trubisky and the Bears can get a lot of yards underneath to get them into prime scoring situations. I think they’ll also be able to hit a few passes deep. Once they get into the red zone, Howard can help get some touchdowns. The Eagles rank 19th in rushing touchdowns so Howard and Tarik Cohen can score.

Trubisky just needs to not try so hard. This is his first playoff game and the temptation is there. He must remember that he has offensive weapons who can help him and the most dominant defense in the playoffs. If he just takes what is given to him the Bears will advance to the Divisional Round.