'I don't control that narrative': Bears' Trubisky says he's not distracted by Watson talk

Mitch Trubisky gets it.

For as long as he's in the NFL, he's going to be compared to fellow quarterbacks DeShaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.

It's the nature of the business and goes hand in hand with all three of them being selected in the first round of the 2017 draft.

So it should come as no surprise that two of the first three questions posed to Trubisky on Wednesday centered around the Bears' game against Watson and the Texans at Soldier Field on Sunday.

Trubisky, selected second overall by the Bears in 2017, said pretty much what you'd expect.

That it'll be easy to block it out. That he's excited for the challenge. That he's focused on trying to help the Bears snap a six-game losing streak.

He's also not frustrated that this remains a story line, despite the fact that all three players are now in their fourth seasons.

“I don't control that narrative. I don't control what people say about it,” said Trubisky, who has thrown for 1,069 yards and 10 touchdowns with 5 interceptions while starting five of 12 contests. “But it is always gonna be a story because that's the draft class we came in.

“We were picked where we were and now it's up to us to make the most of our opportunities. They've done a great job with theirs and I'm still trying to write my story here. That's all there is to it.”

Trubisky helped lead the Bears to a playoff berth in 2018, but his career has been in mostly a downward spiral since.

Meanwhile, the mobile and sure-armed Watson led Houston to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019 by throwing a combined 52 TD passes and running for 12 more.

This season has been a major disappointment in Houston, however, as the Texans started 2-7 while playing a brutal schedule that included games against Kansas City, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Green Bay.

Houston lost to the Colts 26-20 on Sunday, with Watson mishandling a low snap on second-and-goal from the 2 with just 1:28 remaining. Indy recovered to secure the victory.

Watson, who has seven 300-yard games, is on pace for career highs in passing yardage and passing touchdowns. He could also finish with more than 500 rushing yards with a big performance or two down the stretch.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Georgia native was selected 12th overall by Houston, after Mahomes went to Kansas City at No. 10.

The 49ers, Jaguars, Titans, Jets, Chargers and Bengals could have taken either of them but passed.

Of course, the same goes for the Bears, who traded up one spot to take Trubisky.

Where Trubisky's career goes after this season is anyone's guess.

As for this weekend, teammate Allen Robinson believes his quarterback's focus will be in the right place.

“You can't worry about what other people are doing; can't worry about the statistics of other people,” Robinson said. “All you can focus on is week to week — what can you do to try to make your game better ... to make the team be more successful? That's all any individual player can do.”

Until the second-to-last series against Detroit on Sunday — when his fumble set up the Lions' winning touchdown — it looked like Trubisky did indeed take a step forward. He guided the Bears to 23 first-half points and then a 30-20 lead deep into the fourth quarter.

Of course, it was just one game. And against Detroit for that matter.

So can he do it again? Can he build upon that solid effort with another one against a 4-8 Texans squad that is out of the playoff picture?

If so, it would be another baby step in trying to resurrect his career. One that will almost certainly never measure up to that of Watson or Mahomes.

But he's not thinking about that. Instead, he's latching on to this new lease on life — and seems to be growing as a leader in the process.

“(I'll) just let these guys know that we still have an opportunity in front of us if we take care of business,” Trubisky said when asked how he'll keep the mood up at practice. “Crazy things happen in this league, and we might still have a chance at the end.

“So just make sure everybody's locked in, doing their job and having fun. Because at the end of the day that's what it's all about — enjoying each other's company, going out there and playing the game you love and making the most of each opportunity.”