Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is expected to start Sunday against the Giants after practicing in full Friday for the third straight day and being removed from the injury report.
Trubisky sustained a right hip pointer late in the second quarter of last Sunday night's loss to the Rams when he was kneed by defensive end Michael Brockers while being sacked by cornerback Troy Hill. The third-year quarterback was examined inside the Bears' locker room at halftime and it was determined that he could remain in the game.
Trubisky opened the second half by completing 7 of 9 passes for 66 yards on a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. But his injury worsened, and signs that it was affecting his play soon became evident. Coach Matt Nagy noticed that the quarterback wasn't using his body to step into his throws and not following through on his passes or carrying out fakes in the run game.
Nagy said Friday that he was a little surprised that Trubisky recovered so quickly from the injury.
"When he's in that much pain at the end of the game there last week, you never really know exactly what's going to happen in the next couple days," Nagy said. "But it doesn't surprise me that he's going to rehab and work hard and do everything he can to try and get that pain level down so that he can play, and that's what we feel good about right now."
Nagy was impressed with how Trubisky performed this week in practice.
"I thought he did pretty well, he threw the ball well," said the Bears coach. "The first day on Wednesday [practice] was light so it was hard to tell. But the last few days he's kind of out there and it doesn't seem like anything is holding him back."
In other injury news, linebacker Danny Trevathan (elbow) and tight end Adam Shaheen (foot) sat out practice all week and have been ruled out of Sunday's game. Outside linebacker Isaiah Irving (quad) practiced in full and is listed as questionable.
Trevathan was injured Nov. 10 in a win over the Lions. Since his departure, replacement Nick Kwiatkoski and fellow inside linebacker Roquan Smith have both helped fill the void.
After Trevathan exited against Detroit, Kwiatkoski recorded nine tackles, his first career interception, one sack and one tackle-for-loss. He helped swing the momentum in the Bears' favor when he picked off a Jeff Driskel pass and returned it four yards to the Lions' 25 early in the third quarter.
The performance earned Kwiatkoski the "Sweep the Sheds Award," which is presented by the Bears to one player after every win this season. The award consists of a metal broom and bear's head and is given to a player who is not too big to do the little things.
In last Sunday night's loss to the Rams, Smith led the Bears with 11 tackles, recorded his team's only interception and made a key tackle-for-loss.
His first impact play came in the first quarter when he drifted toward the sideline and intercepted a Jared Goff pass. After a Bears touchdown cut the Rams' lead to 10-7 midway through the third quarter, Smith dropped running back Todd Gurley for a one-yard loss on a crucial third-and-one play, forcing Los Angeles to punt.
"I kind of keep telling you that these guys are special, man," outside linebacker Khalil Mack told reporters Friday. "Just understanding that you've got different guys that step in even though we're facing a little adversity, and that's especially losing a guy like Danny Trevathan. These guys step in and they try not to let it drop too much, and it shows up on the field."
For the Giants, tight ends Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion) have been ruled out of Sunday's game. Engram leads New York with 44 receptions for 467 yards and three touchdowns.
