LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- For the Bears to turn around their spiraling season, they're counting on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to help lead them back. He knows it.
In the aftermath of a loss to the Chargers on Sunday, Trubisky watched the game film as he always does, reviewing his pre-snap reads, evaluating his decisions in coverage and scrutinizing each throw. Then he did something different. The 25-year-old Trubisky watched the entire Fox broadcast and focused on his actions along the Bears' sidelines.
"That told me a lot about myself," Trubisky said. "It was weird watching it, because I really didn't feel like it was me. It was kind of a shell of myself. I'm going to get back to really leading in a way that I know how."
The Bears lost 17-16 to the Chargers and found themselves reviewing every aspect of a game that could've gone their way -- the finer details before kicker Eddy Pineiro missed the game-winning 41-yard field-goal attempt wide left as time expired. Plenty of players inside the Bears' locker room felt responsibility for letting the team down in dropping to 3-4 and into last place in the NFC North.
Trubisky carries the greatest burden of any Bears player given that he's the 2017 second overall pick, the once-prized prospect still hoping to find his form as a franchise quarterback. The Bears are built around Trubisky. Now, they're looking to him to step up.
Trubisky has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 1,092 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions in six starts this season. The Bears were hurt by only scoring one touchdown in five red-zone trips Sunday.
For Trubisky, elevating the Bears goes beyond production.
"Especially through times of adversity, they're always looking towards the leaders," Trubisky said. "They're always looking towards me and seeing how we're going to react, how we're going to bounce back and be positive.
"I really wasn't doing much. I really wasn't showing any body language. It was mostly just like a guy who looks super serious, kind of tense. And that's really not me."
The Bears won nine of their last 10 regular-season games in 2018 to win the NFC North at 12-4. The circumstances of 2019 have been vastly different, with the Bears being challenged by injuries, inconsistencies and a three-game losing streak now.
The team shares leadership roles, as Nagy declines to name set captains, instead alternating them for each game. When times are tough -- as they have been at Halas Hall -- the Bears still turn to Trubisky.
"It's valuable because it's our quarterback," receiver Taylor Gabriel said. "When he brings that swagger, that confidence, it levitates the offense to another level."
Trubisky will continue to focus his film sessions not only on his performance in leading the Bears' offense but also his actions on the team's sidelines.
"When everybody looks at me, hopefully they just get motivated and are ready to go and ready to get their mind back on track," Trubisky said.
"It's something I can reference. Just continue to see myself and make sure I'm leading the way I know how -- a way that's authentic and who I am."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
