Mitchell Trubisky’s sophomore surge is biggest surprise of 2018
Every move Mitchell Trubisky made in his NFL debut last October against the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football” was magnified with criticism.
The Chicago Bears quarterback showed flashes of potential, especially on bootleg plays, but he only completed 12 of 25 passes for 128 yards. It was more of the same for his next 11 starts.
Many were quick to label Trubisky a bust by the end of his rookie year. Some Bears fans didn’t hesitate to say “I told you so” because they wrote Trubisky off after the Bears decided to trade up one spot with the San Francisco 49ers to select the North Carolina quarterback No. 2 overall.
For some strange reason, not many gave Trubisky a chance the second he made himself eligible for the 2017 NFL draft. Maybe it was because he insisted on being called Mitchell instead of Mitch? Or a better reason, he only started one season in college.
It also didn’t help that Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was selected 10 picks after Trubisky, had a historic start to his career. Then there was the preseason rise of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was drafted No. 10 overall in 2017.
Trubisky isn’t on Mahomes’ MVP level, but he’s playing like a Pro Bowl-worthy QB this season, and probably having a better sophomore year than Watson.
Trubisky has come a long way since that debut against the vaunted Vikings defense. He’s playing the NFC North rival again on Sunday night with first place on the line.
Minnesota probably spent a lot of time preparing for Trubisky, who torched the Detroit Lions for 355 passing yards and three touchdowns last week.
The performance nabbed Trubisky the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Trubisky, who has 19 touchdown passes this season, is on pace to set single-season Bears records for passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Many pundits are eating their words about Trubisky, even this reporter who didn’t rank him in his “Top 32 QBs” piece before Week 1.
But Trubisky’s memorable Year 2 isn’t the only surprise of 2018. Here are other shockers no one saw coming:
Protecting Luck
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has taken a beating since entering the NFL in 2012 because of poor offensive line protection. The numerous hits led to injuries that caused Luck to miss most of the 2015 season and all of last year.
The Colts’ offensive line struggled to start this season, but the unit has turned it around drastically in the past month.
Indianapolis hasn’t allowed a sack in the last four games. For the season, the Colts have only given up 10 sacks, the second-best mark in the league.
Luck is playing like an MVP candidate because of the extra time, and the Colts (4-5) are back in the AFC South race after winning three straight games.
The Colts are finally seeing results in their investment on the offensive line. Offensive line starters Quenton Nelson, Anthony Castonzo and Ryan Kelly were all selected in the first round.
No backup
The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2-1) haven’t missed a beat without running back Le’Veon Bell in the lineup.
James Conner has taken off as the starting running back and is arguably the breakthrough player of the year.
Conner is third in the league in rushing yards with 771 on 164 carries and 11 touchdowns. The Steelers have won five straight games and Conner is a big reason why.
Final four hangover
The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl and the Jacksonville Jaguars made it to the AFC championship game. They were the biggest surprise teams of 2017.
Now both teams might be the biggest disappointments of 2018.
The Eagles haven’t found their rhythm on offense with Carson Wentz under center and are in danger of falling to 4-6 with the mighty New Orleans Saints next on the schedule.
The Jaguars’ quarterback issues have finally caught up to them and are probably out of the playoff mix with a 3-6 record.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.