Mitchell Trubisky is an anchor on the Bears’ playoff hopes

Two Mitchell Trubisky fourth-quarter turnovers clinched the Bears’ fate against the Chargers in Week 8 and illustrate why Chicago won’t be postseason darlings with him under center.

Until the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Chicago Bears were able to build and hold a lead over the San Diego Chargers, mainly by keeping the ball out of the hands of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and relying on the run game. But Matt Nagy’s game plan shifted in the final 15 minutes, allowing Trubisky more freedom to sling the football. Needless to say, it wasn’t the right move.

In that fateful quarter, Trubisky fumbled the ball away — untouched by any Chargers defender — and threw an interception, with the former turnover leading to a Los Angeles touchdown that clinched them the victory. He was given the chance to orchestrate a game-winning drive in the final two minutes and succeeded, a few quick passes and a 12-yard scramble leading to an Eddy Pineiro field goal attempt, but the 41-yard try was unsuccessful. The Bears thus lost, 17-16, and fell to 3-4 on the season.

Trubisky’s struggles were a day-long affair; Chicago had five red-zone appearances against the Chargers and only came away with a touchdown on one, a David Montgomery rushing score. Pineiro was called upon to be the hero of the day, not Trubisky, and couldn’t pull it out at the last second. And that’s why the Bears aren’t going to see postseason success with Trubisky under center.

Chicago’s 3-4 record doesn’t have them anywhere close to being eliminated from playoff contention just yet. However, two other teams in the NFC North — the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings — each have six wins apiece, giving the Bears a mountain to climb in order to clinch either the division or a Wild Card berth. And if they are going to do so, Trubisky has to improve, and quickly. Instead, he’s spent the season regressing.

So far this year, Trubisky has thrown only five touchdowns to three interceptions. He’s been sacked 14 times — four on Sunday. And it’s that lack of scoring production that has held the Bears back all season long and was clearly on display on Sunday. It’s certainly not the kind of production that would be expected of someone with Trubisky’s pedigree as the second-overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.

A good run game or a strong defense can carry a team far. But without a reliable signal-caller, the chances of being a postseason contender or Super Bowl favorite is difficult, if not impossible. Trubisky was supposed to be the Bears’ savior, their final piece to finally becoming the class of the NFC North. Instead, as the season unfolds, it’s clear that Trubisky is more fool’s gold than rare treasure.

Red-zone appearances don’t matter unless something is made of them. Turnovers will never lead to stacking up wins. For all the talent that the Bears possess, Trubisky is working overtime to negate them. Chicago thought two years ago they were a quarterback away from true contention; after Sunday, it’s clear they still haven’t found the one to get them there.