Can Surging Chicago Bears Survive with QB Struggles?

At 4-1 after Thursday's 20-19 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Chicago Bears are the NFL's least imposing squad with a standout record, and the reason is quite simple: No one should take them seriously because their quarterback situation is a disaster. 

Does anyone expect the Bears to make a run to the playoffs and then beat opponents with Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers or even Jared Goff leading the way? 

No one should. 

Surely, the #QBwinz crowd will crow about how the Bears took out the highly touted Buccaneers with Nick Foles behind center. But there isn't much sense in equating wins to QB performance. For example, Mitchell Trubisky is technically 3-0 this season. He is credited with a win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 because he started the game, though Foles stepped into the lineup and helped bring the team back from a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit. 

With the obvious, albeit misguided, argument in Foles' favor out of the way, a closer look at how Chicago reached this point will provide some insight on why it's not likely to work out for the Bears over the long haul. 

Chicago's biggest issue is twofold. The first stems from the team's approach to the position long before it gathered for training camp. The second deals with the inability to create plays and expand the offense from the game's most important position.

To begin, the Bears' decision to trade a fourth-round pick in April's draft for a 31-year-old quarterback who failed at his previous stop and lost his job to a sixth-round rookie, Gardner Minshew II, smacked of cronyism at its finest. The Bears had options after making the internal decision to decline the fifth-year option on Trubisky's rookie contract. Instead of legitimately pursuing Cam Newton or even Jameis Winston, Foles became the guy to challenge the 2017 second overall pick. 

Danny Karnik/Associated Press

The moment Chicago brass didn't pick up Trubisky's option, his time as the starter was all but complete. In the NFL, it's simple. Follow the money. If a team isn't willing to pay, that says everything everyone needs to know. 

In Foles' case, previous working relationships with head coach Matt Nagy (with the Kansas City Chiefs), offensive coordinator Bill Lazor (with the Philadelphia Eagles) and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo (with the Jacksonville Jaguars) played in his favor. The Bears decided not to take on a bigger risk, though the reward with Newton's athleticism or Winston's natural throwing ability would have been a massive upgrade to the position. 

Fast forward six-plus months, and the Bears have moved off Trubisky in favor of Foles. In his first start, the veteran signal-caller laid an egg against the Indianapolis Colts' league-best defense. The 31-year-old couldn't get the offense started, and the unit didn't move the ball until very late in the contest. 

Even so, Nagy talked about Foles being a quarterback capable of blossoming into a long-term starter despite not showing those capabilities with multiple franchises. 

"You see it now, the age of these quarterbacks that are taking such great care of their bodies in the offseason, and Nick is one of those guys," the head coach told reporters this week. "The nutrition that he takes, he trains in the offseason, it allows these guys to play longer. I definitely think Nick is one of those guys that falls into that category.

"I definitely think, being 31, is by no means old."

Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

If that rationalization comes to the forefront, the Bears have a problem. Yes, Foles experienced a magical run in 2017 when he helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl LII victory for which the quarterback earned MVP honors. But getting a hot hand at the right time is not the same as leading a franchise week in and week out.

For example, Joe Flacco is a Super Bowl MVP as well. No one is looking at him as a legitimate starting option, as everyone acknowledges his lackluster stretches are more indicative of who he is than his 2012 playoff performance. 

Foles is a heater. He gets red-hot for short periods only to fizzle out over time. In that regard, he's an outstanding backup. To be fair, he's the best choice to start for the Bears, though that doesn't mean he's a good choice because his limitations become obvious after extended exposure. 

Foles' faults were on display against the Buccaneers despite the eventual victory. He badly missed on open throws a ninth-year quarterback should make. His pocket mobility is severely lacking. His arm strength, particularly on deep throws or tosses outside the numbers, is not there. The last point is a double-edged sword since he can be effective on out-breaking routes, but a couple of passes were easily defended, and Foles should have finished with more than one interception. 

Through three appearances, Foles has averaged 6.0 yards per attempt—which places him 30th alongside the New York Giants' Daniel Jones. 

Foles even told reporters the Bears' offensive rhythm has been "sporadic" since he's taken over the huddle. 

Despite Foles' history with the offensive staff, the scheme itself was built to accommodate Trubisky. The Bears planned on being a more physical team with a reliance on play-action. Now, the coaches must adjust, because Foles does his best working from the shotgun and utilizing run-pass options and quick, timing reads.

At this point, it comes down to trying to hide the veteran's weaknesses as much as playing to his strengths. 

Once the Bears' other issues are added to the mix, the job of building around Foles becomes more difficult. The Buccaneers ravaged the middle of Chicago's offensive front and consistently applied interior pressure. To make matters worse, the Bears may be without left guard James Daniels, who possibly suffered a season-ending pectoral injury, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. 

Can the Bears be competitive with Foles behind center? Absolutely. He's unflappable in big situations, which he showed again Thursday with the Bears down by two with less than two minutes to play. The quarterback wasn't great, but he did enough.

Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

But the strength of the squad is on the other side of the ball. The defense has playmakers at all three levels with Khalil Mack and his two sacks stealing the show Thursday night 

Chicago's best hope of turning a winning regular season into something more is Foles playing much better than he has the last two weeks and becoming far more consistent. He's never showed the capability of doing the latter. As such, the Bears can work their way through a successful regular season only to be declared D.O.A. if they make the postseason.  

"We're 4-1 and we know we can play a lot better," Nagy told reporters after the Thursday's contest. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.