UNC Football: Former Tar Heel Mitchell Trubisky set to start for Bears

Former UNC football standout Mitchell Trubisky set to start for Bears in place of ailing Nick Foles

Mitchell Trubisky will be back for the Chicago Bears this Sunday when the team travels north for an important game against division rival Green Bay. Chicago head coach Matt Nagy made the announcement on Friday afternoon, noting that he’s excited for the four-year pro and former North Carolina standout.

Trubisky will start in place of the injured Nick Foles — who’s nursing injuries sustained against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night — for the first time since he was under center in a late-September game against the Atlanta Falcons.

“We’re excited that Mitch is ready, and it’s an opportunity for him,” Nagy said. “Extremely prepared” is how Nagy described Trubisky, who was benched after a poor first half performance against the Falcons in a game that the Bears ultimately won.

Over his first three games of the season, Trubisky completed less than 60 percent of his passes, while throwing six touchdowns and three interceptions against the Lions, Giants and Falcons. Despite mostly sub-par performances in those games, compiling a passer rating of just 87.4 and a QBR of 53.6, the Bears won each of the three contests that Trubisky started. They’ve gone just 2-5 in the games since.

It’s unknown at this point whether or not a strong performance from Trubisky could catapult him back into a permanent starting role. Either way, we’ll hope for the best for Trubisky as he lines up under center for the first time in two months against the NFC North’s top team.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Mitchell Trubisky, as well as UNC football alumni throughout the NFL.