Bears kicker Connor Barth missed a 46-yard kick at the end of regulation on Sunday, giving the Lions a 27-24 win and robbing the Bears of a chance to pull out a win in overtime.
Barth’s chance was set up by a 19-yard run by quarterback Mitch Trubisky that he followed up with a 15-yard completion to Dontrelle Inman. Those plays ended an up-and-down day for the second overall pick, who also missed on several passes and lost a snap that Lions cornerback D.J. Hayden returned for a touchdown.
Trubisky also led four scoring drives and coach John Fox said after the game that he was “impressed” by the performance. Trubisky was less glowing in his self-assessment, saying that he feels he’s gotten better but that there shouldn’t be half-credit because of his age.
“Adversity is a great teacher,” Trubisky said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “Overcoming the struggles is a great teacher. You just continue to keep that mindset. There’s no rookie excuse. You don’t get any freebies for being a rookie or anything like that.”
Being a rookie may not excuse mistakes made among more hopeful plays, but it does mean you get more opportunities to show that the positive can outweigh the negative. The equation is different for veterans like Barth and coaches like Fox, which may mean changes to come around Trubisky in Chicago.