LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) - Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky? No decision yet.
Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy on Wednesday delayed announcing whether Foles or Trubisky will start at quarterback Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.
It’s looking more like Trubisky will play, though, and at least the Bears know with certainty will have starting running back David Montgomery after he missed their fourth straight defeat against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 16 due to a concussion.
Foles did not practice Wednesday due to a glute and hip injury suffered against the Vikings, and he also missed Monday’s practice. Trubisky was able to go both days despite a shoulder injury he suffered Nov. 1.
“It’s day to day right now with Nick,” Nagy said. “So with him not practicing, Mitch got all the reps today and I thought he did a good job. It was good to see him out there, and he looked good, and the tempo and the rhythm was good.”
Nagy said he’d have no problem taking the decision until late in the week, and doubts it will impact receivers or others on offense because they’ve played with both quarterbacks.
“I think that they understand where both these guys are at with their injuries and health, etc.,” Nagy said. “They don’t really get into that too much. That’s not something that they ask questions about. They just kind of roll.”
Foles has started seven straight games and the Bears have gone 2-5, losing the last four. He led a 16-point comeback in the fourth quarter against Atlanta in Week 3 after replacing an ineffective Trubisky. The Bears won the first two games before benching Trubisky.
Trubisky is a scrambler and Foles a pocket passer, so Nagy acknowledged he does gain an edge by waiting to select a starter because Green Bay has to prepare to face two different style quarterbacks.
Nagy said if it is Trubisky playing, it’s possible Bears fans will notice a changed player because he benefited by being benched and watching the team - for the first time since the first few weeks of his rookie year.
“At times, when you think it’s the worst feeling in the world what you’re going through, sometimes those moments are the best thing that ever happened to you,” Nagy said. “I don’t know if that’s the case.
“If he ends up starting and he’s our guy and we end up going into this game, I don’t know what that final story will be for this game and moving forward. But I do know that what I’ve seen of Mitchell, the way that he’s handled meetings, the way that he’s handled practice in that role, I’ve seen a change in him, and for the good.”
Getting Montgomery back can’t hurt regardless. His first NFL concussion was bad enough Cordarrelle Patterson had to play for him against Minnesota.
“I’ve never had one this severe,” Montgomery sad. “It was definitely different, but I’m fine now.”
The Bears haven’t been able to run the ball at all, but they’re not blaming this on Montgomery. Montgomery has averaged just 3.2 yards after the second game, but offensive line injuries and problems synching the blocking scheme with different quarterbacks has hurt. He thinks it’s not too late to make the running game work.
“There’s always that light at the end of every tunnel I’ve been through,” Montgomery said.
The Bears are last in the NFL in rushing and Montgomery has gained 472 yards on 131 carries for a 3.6-yard average.
“You just keep coming out here every week, going to work and focus on that, what you can control, and going out there being a great team guy, being sure that we stay on top of things, because it will turn, whether anybody wants to believe it or not,” Montgomery said.
NOTES: Defensive end Akiem Hicks missed practice with a hamstring injury suffered Nov. 16 against Minnesota. … Safety Eddie Jackson remains on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. … Nose tackle John Jenkins practiced on a limited basis after missing the last game with an ankle injury
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Please read our comment policy before commenting.