LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- In a surprise twist, Chicago Bears coach John Fox on Monday called quarterback Mitchell Trubisky's three-interception performance at Ford Field “arguably [Trubisky’s] best game” of the year.
“Even at the end of the game when you go back and look at the tape, you go through the mechanics, you go through just the decision making, there was really a lot of good that Mitch did,” Fox said. “You know I don't know that fans and everyday people that don't get a chance to study the tape and kind of know what he's been taught and told [think]. Everybody looks at the box score, they see the three picks. But it was probably arguably his best game.”
Trubisky finished 31 of 46 for 314 yards, one touchdown and three picks (66.8 quarterback rating) in Chicago’s 20-10 loss to the Lions. Trubisky’s second interception occurred in the end zone when the second overall pick admittedly forced a ball to wide receiver Dontrelle Inman.
“I think the thing that's impressive about Mitch is you know in a couple of situations where we might not have been lined up right, he corrected it,” Fox added. “We had a situation where a guy was lined up wrong, he corrected it. Three, four weeks ago I'm not sure that happens.
“You know there was a couple of throws where I mean mechanically he's really sound, he's staring down the barrel with somebody right in his face and he drills a completion on third-and-18. So there was really a lot of good. I know the result is not what everybody wants, I understand that. But as far as his growth and his maturation, I thought probably his best game as far as just him goes.”
Trubisky, who made an unscheduled visit to the media room on Monday, acknowledged the positives on offense but seemed far more concerned about eliminating turnovers.
“You try and look at the process, not the outcome,” Trubisky said. “I got better in some areas, but obviously we’ve got to take care of the football to give my team the best chance to win. [I] did some things well and got better in some areas, but the turnovers hurt us, and that’s what really kept us out of the game. So, it’s good to see me get better, but we want to have a chance to win every single game.”