Chicago Bears: 5 Bold predictions for the 2020 season
2. Foles comes off the bench and excels…again
The battle for the starting quarterback is over and Trubisky beat out Nick Foles and kept his hold on the job. His hold is tenuous at best, though. Nagy will have a short leash on him, knowing that he has a former Super Bowl MVP who has come off the bench to lead his team to the playoffs…twice.
Foles will bide his time knowing that he will probably get an opportunity at some point this season. While he’s likely disappointed that he didn’t win the quarterback battle, this is a situation he’s been in before.
If the Bears make a move they’ll wait until after the first quarter of the season. They play the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, and the Indianapolis Colts in that first quarter. Those teams combined for a record of 21-43 and none of them made the playoffs in 2019. Yes, any and all of those teams could be improved, but none of those teams have dominant defenses.
If Trubisky struggles against those teams and makes the same mistakes he’s done throughout his career, Nagy would need to seriously think about pulling the plug on him and sending in Foles. If that is the case, Foles will put on his superhero costume and come to the rescue once again.
While Trubisky is the starter, it’s Foles who has a better grasp of the offense and experience with the coaching staff. He’s worked with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, and Nagy. He even has experience with offensive line coach Juan Castillo.
Foles does a good job of getting rid of the ball quickly and getting it to the receiver in a position for that receiver to gain yards. One of the knocks on Trubisky is that his inaccuracy forces the receivers to adjust to the pass and not be able to gain yards after the catch.
Trubisky won the battle but ultimately Foles will win the war. He’ll come in and we’ll see how Nagy’s offense is supposed to be run.
Prediction: Foles throws for 3,102 yards and 27 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 12 games.