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In the moment, this seemed to be a minor misfire, a problem in the middle of an impressive first quarter. The Bears attack was launched Sunday night. Eighty-six rushing yards on the opening series of the season. Now 65 yards in six games, setting the second goal for the Packers 3.
Talk about a reporting opportunity. The Bears, who finished last season for four consecutive seasons, were about to take a two-pass lead over the Packers on their own field.
Under the center, Trubisky pauses and falls. Full receiver Allen Robinson throws out Kevin King and frees himself.
Trubisky hangs while Robinson opens in the back right corner of the end zone. Then, the quarter of the Bears throws loudly and exceeds its target.
At the moment, it seemed like an unfortunate mistake. But whatever. Trubisky had hit his first seven passages of the night. The Bears still had the third and third goals of the 3's. It looked like a pitcher going off the ground to be behind a 2-0 batter with two outs and a draw in the third inning of a shutout. Far from being catastrophic.
Yet this is how NFL games are earned. Or lost, as the case may be.
It was a Pro Bowl receiver open in the end zone and a quarterback touted for its precision requiring only touch and precision to capitalize.
Instead, the Trubisky Pass sailed high and shorted the padded wall at Lambeau Field.
The Bears lost 5 yards in the next game and put themselves in the starting position.
Later, their lead of 20 points evaporated in a dizzying defeat of 24-23 full of moments like this one. Moments that could have changed not only the result of the opening game of the season, but also the football conversation in the city and the atmosphere that prevailed at Halas Hall at the beginning of week 2.
At the moment, Trubisky's throw seemed disappointing. Still, it was fair to wonder if anything had disrupted the pace of the quarterback. Maybe an imperfection of the road? Or a slight problem of synchronization?
Matt Nagy's review Monday morning: "Keep it right in the limits and let it do a piece. We always talk about how the history of the PGA Tour has never been short. You have to give him a chance, right? (Mitch) knows it. You have a receiver who is one of the best in the league in the red zone. Give him an opportunity and he will play. "
But was there anything that Robinson could have done to facilitate his shift?
Receiving coach Mike Furrey said, "It's a shame. It will happen. "
Dave Ragone, the quarterback coach, added: You're obviously in the 5 yard line. This ball must rise and lie down quickly. Allen ran an excellent route. I'm sure if you asked Mitchell, that's one of the throws he would like to have.
That settles it then. Just a failure, a moment Trubisky will fight. It is also a moment that the young quartermaster will finally have to exploit, and often, to turn heartbreaking losses into spiritual victories.
* * * *
At the moment, it seemed like a stroke of desperation. The attack packers needed life. For most of the three quarters, they had been locked up by an energetic defensive of the Bears. Seven complete possessions at this point, only one goal on the field to show. And even that was beaten by a bad choice of six launched by quarterback DeShone Kizer.
So, here is Aaron Rodgers, only 11 for 17 for 74 yards early in the fourth quarter. Play on a trembling knee. In a 20-3 deficit in a worried stadium where the local crowd had chased the Packers off the field at halftime.
Second and second. Ball at the Bears 39, 14:06 to play. Why not take a shot?
On the right, third-year receiver Geronimo Allison faces the Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller. Allison takes a half step. The Bears defensive coaches would prefer Fuller to stay at the top of the road and do not like him falling behind Allison. However, the veteran cornerback is tight enough to feel Allison's breath, in the position to play a throw.
But Rodgers, with his cannon arm and unshakeable confidence in his talent, throws a bullet into a window the size of a street mailbox. In a way, he falls directly into Allison 's arms in the back corner of the goal area.
"Perfect ball," Allison said later. "Perfect catch. Landing."
Hope leaps through Lambeau Field. Suddenly, there is a spark that looks like an explosion and makes a deficit of 10 points in the fourth quarter as a slight inconvenience.
This is a two-time MVP that does what the MVPs do twice: save his team. A clutch landing pass. A catalyst for a fourth quarter in which he would throw 212 yards with three touchdowns.
"Aaron Rodgers was outstanding," said coach Mike McCarthy at the end of the evening. "I can not tell you how proud I am of him."
That's how NFL games are won.
* * * *
In a game that consisted of 125 plays producing a hundred or so talking points, it was only two moments. But could anyone pretend that they were the two moments? Was not it the perfect cliche of what separates these two teams?
A quarterback, in his second year and 13th start, missed an easy start with his team within 10 feet of the goal line. The other quarter, finishing 40,000 career yards and continuing his seventh invitation to the Pro Bowl, threw a bomb near the "G" in midfield and put the money where only his receiver could hang it.
One night when the Bears made it clear that they were ready to fill the gap in the NFC North, and that they are about to become an ever competitive team, the Packers recalled why they seldom missed the playoffs. They have played in the playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons, in fact.
Last season was the last season when they finished below .500 for the first time since 2008, but only after Rodgers missed more than half of the year with a broken collarbone.
When their legendary quarterback is in good health, they are extremely hard to beat. And the belief that produces for an offense, for a franchise, for a fan base that expects excellence is off the charts.
Rodgers heard his crowd scold when he came out of the tunnel after halftime, no longer on a cart and determined to return to the match after leaving with his knee injury. His thoughts immediately went to his thoughts.
"At that time, I said," We could just as well win this thing. "
And win what he did, tearing the hearts of a Bears team that should have been the subject of the NFL this week.
Trubisky? While still digesting his ninth loss in 13 starts in the NFL, he was asked if he could appreciate the brilliance that Rodgers had shown in leading the return of his team. A quarter of the bears nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "Absolutely, I know how difficult this game is, I do not even know what kind of injury he had, but he came back into the game and it seemed like he was moving, throwing on one leg and able to to find compliments, that's what it's for the quarterback – just give the ball to your playmakers and give your guys a chance, that's something he did very well and that I must do better. "
The bar was installed years ago. The quest to empty him continues. Moments to achieve excellence will continue to come.
Twitter @danwiederer
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