Getty Head coach Matt Nagy of the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy spoke to the media Monday, less than 24-hours removed from his team’s sixth loss in a row. The Bears blew a 10-point lead against the Detroit Lions Sunday, dropping their third straight divisional game in embarrassing fashion. Calls for the removal of Nagy and GM Ryan Pace have never been louder, but the Bears’ coach doesn’t seem to hear them.
Nagy told reporters he wasn’t worried about his job status, saying he has always had excellent communication with the front office, while also mentioning he has heard no news about his potential removal. When discussing the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of the Bears’ loss to the Lions, Nagy credited running backs David Montgomery and Cordarrelle Patterson for their solid output, but when he listed the issues he saw upon further reviewing the tape, he omitted a major one — the decision-making of his offense.
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Matt Nagy Pleased With Running Game He Selectively Uses
Nagy criticized the way his team started the second half, but he failed to address the real problem: the inability of this offense to run the ball for four consecutive quarters, which is something they’ve never successfully done during his tenure.
“Offensively, obviously the second half, we had I think around six possessions. We had one touchdown and at the end of the game there in the fourth quarter is where I felt like that’s where we had a couple of those three-and-outs, we had a couple penalties, and then we had the two sacks, which were crucial,” Nagy said.
“So when you look back, you say: ‘That’s where we gotta be able to finish as an offense, in that type of game, make them use their timeouts there at the end and not even give them the ball back.’ Or have you know the ability for the sack fumble which occurred. But I was pleased with the offense, I thought that they played well and played hard.”
Nagy didn’t seem to connect the fact that the play-calling and play designs directly led to a few of the three-and-outs he mentioned. The running game was the primary part of the offense that was working for the Bears — they had three rushing scores and 100+ yards on the ground in the first half alone. Yet here’s how the Bears came out of the game in the third quarter on their first possession:
Bears first drive of the 2nd half:
Read option
Pass
Pass
Penalty
Pass
Pass
Punt
After running all over the Lions in the first half
Bill Lazor is the one calling the plays now, but this is still Nagy’s offense, and the fact that the Bears have scored just one offensive touchdown the entire season in the third quarter is on the head coach more than anyone, particularly one who is supposed to be offensive-minded. Nagy has fallen on the sword multiple times in the past, admitting that “It starts with me” on several occasions this season alone. Why he didn’t do that again after the loss to the Lions truly baffles.
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Nagy Defends Decision to Throw on 3rd and 4
With the Bears clinging to a three-point lead against the Lions with under two minutes remaining in the game, Mitch Trubisky dropped back to pass on third-and-4. The Lions sacked him and knocked the ball out of his hands, recovering the fumble that led to their game-winning touchdown.
The Bears averaged 4.5 yards per carry, and both Patterson and Montgomery had been running over Detroit’s defense all game, but with a desire to force the Lions to use their remaining timeouts, Nagy and company thought having Trubisky drop back in the pocket to throw would be a the best plan on third down deep in Chicago’s own territory.
“It’s third-and-4. We felt like we had a play that … man, zone, good vs. all. And we wanted to be able to get a first down. Could you go back and could you try to run a screen or do something like that, or throw it behind the sticks and keep the clock running? You could always look at doing that. But we all collectively as a staff, we felt good about that. I think our players did. It was just something where unfortunately Ifedi, he just kind of opened up his hips a little bit. The kid made a good rush off the edge. I think Mitch was just getting ready versus zone when Mooney was getting ready to burst to his last three steps. He was gonna give it to him. And it would have been probably a little short of the sticks and try to fall forward for the first. But timing-wise, we just weren’t able to get it out.”
Regardless of what he says at this point, Nagy has lost the team, and he lost the fan base weeks ago. The least he could do now is acknowledge his shortcomings and genuinely try to fix them — but with just four games remaining and his ouster looking more like an inevitability, it may not matter anymore.
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