LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Just as this season has gotten away from Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, so too did the game Sunday night.
Trubisky understood the significance of the national television stage that he would take alongside Chiefs quarterback and reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes, a 2017 draft classmate against whom he will be forever compared. Trubisky had the chance to prove a point in primetime, and he misfired in a 26-3 loss.
With 9:23 left in the second quarter, Bears coach Matt Nagy drew up a play that should've gone to the end zone. Trubisky rolled to his right and unleashed a deep ball to top target Allen Robinson, who had separated from his Chiefs defender with only the end zone ahead.
Trubisky overshot the throw, clapping his hands together and yelling at himself in the aftermath.
"I've got to hit those," Trubisky said after the game.
There were few opportunities for Trubisky to make up for his miss.
The Bears trailed 10-0 at the time of Trubisky's errant throw and needed some big plays to get back into the game, but the play-calling from Nagy and decision-making from Trubisky remained safe as the game wore on despite what the scoreboard said.
Trubisky finished 18-of-34 for 157 yards, which included a 2-of-10 showing for 37 yards on throws deeper than 10 yards.
The lowlight of Trubisky's conservative play came in the fourth quarter with the Bears trailing the Chiefs 23-3. On fourth-and-23, Trubisky passed up reads downfield for an 11-yard completion to recently-signed tight end Eric Saubert. The Bears turned it over on downs.
After the misfired deep ball early, Trubisky and the Bears were reluctant to take chances.
"We always talk about there's never been a putt made in the history of golf that's short," Nagy said. "Or a ball that's been complete out of bounds. So, give these guys a chance. And Mitch knows all this stuff. This is nothing that I'm criticizing him for. It's just one that he missed."
As the Bears evaluate the confidence of the struggling Trubisky and consider their future options, they'll see that he has struggled mightily playing before a national audience in primetime games, which usually feature quality competition.
In 10 career night games -- including five this season -- Trubisky has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,824 yards (182.4 passing yards per game) with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has a 73.7 quarterback rating in night games in contrast to a 93.0 rating for noon kickoffs. The Bears are 5-5 in Trubisky's primetime starts.
Sunday brought the perfect storm for Trubisky and the Bears. Nagy was facing his mentor in Chiefs coach Andy Reid, whose play-calling proved far superior. That put the onus on Trubisky to outplay Mahomes, and he had little chance of doing so.
The Bears were left to watch the quarterback they could've had in Mahomes while Trubisky faltered again in the spotlight.
"It's disappointing," Trubisky said. "I mean, scoring three points, you're not going to win any games doing that. We've got to be able to put points on the board. We've got the guys to do it, and we've just got to find the reasons why that's not happening right now.
"All I know how to do is go back to work, continue to believe in the process."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
