Mitch Trubisky will start for Bears against Packers. Here are 5 questions around the QB's return.

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears are officially turning back to Mitch Trubisky this weekend, readying him to be their starting quarterback for Sunday’s Week 12 game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Trubisky hasn’t thrown a pass since being benched in Week 3 in Atlanta and has played only one snap over the past eight weeks — a 3-yard first-quarter run against the New Orleans Saints that left him with a right shoulder injury and knocked him out of action for two weeks. But with Nick Foles still out with a hip injury, Trubisky has resumed control of the Bears huddle, hoping to spark a stagnant offense and halt the four-game losing streak.

Bears coach Matt Nagy on Friday publicly named Trubisky his starter for Sunday. Nagy previously said after Thursday’s practice in Lake Forest that he would still “keep an eye on” Foles’ progress on Friday. Trubisky has taken all the practice reps this week with the Bears preparing for him to be at the offensive controls in Green Bay.

“We’re going to be completely prepared for that,” Nagy said. “Again, he put together another good day (Thursday). That part I really like. I know he’s feeling good.

Here’s a deeper look at five important questions as the Bears march forward.

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1. What is this latest quarterback change for the Bears based on?

Nagy has stressed that there would be a multilayered approach to determining who his starting quarterback would be after the bye week. The Bears coach said the performances of Trubisky and Nick Foles would be taken into account, that the Bears would weigh their schematic priorities in the decision, and that health, of course, would be another major factor.

“We have to start with the availability,” Nagy said Wednesday. “Otherwise, the other stuff doesn’t matter.”

Right now, Trubisky is the healthier of the two quarterbacks. He has practiced in full all week at Halas Hall while Foles remains out with the hip injury he suffered during the final possession of a Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Nagy said he felt encouraged by the practice Trubisky had Wednesday inside the Walter Payton Center.

“It was good to see him out there,” Nagy said. “He looked good and the tempo and the rhythm was good.”

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2. How has Mitch Trubisky handled his demotion over the past two months?

As previously mentioned, aside from that one unfortunate run against the Saints, Trubisky hasn’t played at all over the past seven games — the longest stretch of inactivity in his NFL career. Initially, Nagy acknowledged, there was an acceptance period for the former No. 2 overall pick and a stretch during which Trubisky had to work through feelings of disappointment and frustration.

“It wasn’t easy by any means those first couple weeks,” Nagy said. “It was hard. It was out of place for him and for us. But he kind of got to take a step back and see where he’s at. If he is going (to play Sunday night), I have all the confidence in the world in him.”

Nagy emphasized that he has seen growth in Trubisky during his time in the backup role and that the 26-year-old quarterback has remained attentive in meetings and locked in during practices.

“In this sport, in this world, in life, adversity strikes,” Nagy said. “Sometimes people take that and make it a big-time positive. At times, when you think it’s the worst feeling in the world with what you’re going through, sometimes those moments are the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Nagy isn’t promising that for Trubisky. But as usual, he’s vocalizing an optimistic attitude and hopeful that Trubisky remains in a positive mindset.

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3. So when Nick Foles is fully healthy again, will he return to his starting role?

Not necessarily. The Bears are leaving the door open for Trubisky to reclaim the QB1 role going forward if he plays well against the Packers on Sunday night.

Trubisky, meanwhile, has had to consider the business dynamics of his return to the field. He’s in a contract year with only six regular-season games left. And it’s unlikely he will be back with the Bears next season. With that in mind, Trubisky is certainly taking an injury risk by jumping back into action, particularly as he takes over a bottom-tier Bears offense with an offensive line that remains in flux. On the plus side, if Trubisky shows signs of promise in this next stretch, it could positively affect his value on the free-agent market.

Nagy continues to label Foles as “day to day” with his hip issue.

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4. Should the Bears be ready for some bumps with Mitch Trubisky’s return?

Of course. Trubisky’s 45 career starts, including the playoffs, were filled with bumps and prolonged stretches of inconsistency. It’s hard to imagine he’ll suddenly find the perfect groove after an eight-week layoff. It doesn’t help that Trubisky is also working back from a shoulder injury. In each of the past two seasons after he missed time with shoulder injuries, Trubisky struggled significantly in his first game back (2018 against the Rams and last season vs. the Saints).

Nagy acknowledged those struggles and there have been discussions at Halas Hall this week on that topic.

“Mitch is a fighter,” Nagy said. “I don’t know if he came back too soon the last two years. My belief and some other people’s belief is that maybe that was the case. But you can’t fault him for doing that. The kid wanted to come back and play for the team.

“So we just have to make sure that right now with where he’s at, we check all the boxes and say, ‘OK, if it is him (starting), where is he after stuff like that? Can he get hit again? How do we play the game again?’ And then mentally, it’s the same type of deal. Where is he at mentally? We’ve asked those questions. He feels really good and that’s the part that I like as well.”

In addition, Trubisky’s return will be offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s second game handling playcalling duties — and his first with Trubisky. The offensive line Trubisky will start behind is also much different from the one he took the field with in September.

Still, Nagy doesn’t expect either of those variables to play a significant role in Trubisky’s performance.

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5. What will be at stake for Mitch Trubisky on Sunday night?

We’ll let Nagy take the first crack at that one.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to just go out and play quarterback and play it really with an appreciation for what he lost,” the Bears coach said. “When something is taken away from (someone), how do people react? There are different people who might get angry and they might not have handled themselves well for the last seven or eight weeks and then they’re not prepared. I feel like it is the opposite for him.

“He gets a chance to play. He gets a chance to be the starter. He’s going to use the stuff he’s learned to help him make better plays on game day.”

Making better plays on game day, of course, is a prerequisite for succeeding as an NFL quarterback. Trubisky will be held to that basic standard.

In addition, the Bears absolutely can’t afford to fall below .500 or drop three games behind the Packers heading into December. So, truthfully, Sunday night becomes a must-win affair in so many ways with Trubisky potentially needing to keep up with an Aaron Rodgers-led Packers offense that averages 30.8 points per game.

Let’s also reemphasize that Trubisky is in the home stretch of his contract year. How he handles himself and how he plays will be closely evaluated by the rest of the league as the QB readies for free agency in 2021. He can’t be thinking about any of that on a third-and-6 play inside the red zone. But it is part of the extrinsic pressure of this whole situation as well.

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