The desperation was palpable in Matt Nagy’s public pleas to the Chicago Bears to “wake up” and play with “some sense of pride” following their 41-25 loss to the Green Bay Packers. After blowing a 10-point lead at home and losing 34-30 to the Detroit Lions for your sixth loss in a row, there isn’t much left to say. The offense had its best day (really one half) in quite some time and it still wasn’t enough. Things usually end in one way when the wheels come off as they have in 2020.
Have Nagy’s Pleas Been Tuned Out?
Bucking Trends
The Bears were 6-1 under Nagy when they scored 30-plus points entering Sunday. They had beaten the Lions in six straight, dating back to John Fox. Just like the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions can join the Packers in having figured out this iteration of the Bears. A lot of this team’s warts were overlooked because they could count on the Vikings to implode against them. Or for Detroit to blow it like they are wont to do. Instead, the Bears have lost six straight for the first time since 2002.
That’s all out the window now as Nagy once again fielded questions sans answers. And that’s been the theme of Nagy’s time at the helm. We’ve come away each subsequent year since that squandered 2018 run knowing less about this team than we did going in. After that season it was whether or not the team was closer than we thought. After ‘19 we all wondered what they could do to fix an offense that was clearly broken (and wasn’t great the year before). Now, as we see they have clearly wasted a once-mighty defense, the question has to be how to fix this.
"This game the coaching staff failed these guys and put them in positions where they would not be successful."
– Former Chicago Bear Olin Kreutz(Via NBC Sports Chicago)
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) December 6, 2020
We-fense
Nagy calling out his defense was odd. Not because they are above reproach. This unit, at its best, was several notches below the 2018 group. They have also been key figures in this current slide. But they have also been the reason the Bears have been in most games after kickoff. To not only single-out the defense in a way he has never done with the offense (his calling card) despite the former being the strength of the team is absurd. But to fault them for being picked apart by an MVP candidate in Aaron Rodgers (noted Bears killer) makes no sense.
The Bears rank 21st in average time of possession in the NFL this season. Even worse, they’re 32nd over their last three games. Your defense cannot be on the field as much as the Bears group has and not get exposed. Sunday was just the fifth time the Bears have allowed 400-plus passing yards in team history and just the second loss. Had he gone and commented on specific moments and said those cannot happen, fine. But he didn’t do that. He questioned pride and effort from the one side of the ball worth mentioning and this is what he got for it.
Problematic Tackles
Chicago’s defense shouldn’t be absolved; they gave up those yards and points. The Lions drive that resulted in the Marvin Jones touchdown and cut the Bears lead to three started with four straight plays attacking Danny Trevathan and Buster Skrine. Both players have been in that position far too often to still be playing; contracts be damned. Detroit (smartly) went back to T.J. Hockenson, abusing a weakness of Chicago’s defense, and finally caught rookie Jaylon Johnson flat-footed (likely thinking he had safety help) for the score. Adrian Peterson’s go-ahead score was too easy, period
Tackles weren’t just an issue for the defense as Charles Leno and Germain Ifedi both played huge roles in the collapse. Leno had a holding penalty that stalled out a promising drive in Detroit territory that could have at least resulted in at least a field goal try in the fourth quarter. Ifedi whiffed on the block that allowed Romeo Okwara to strip-sack Mitchell Trubisky, leading to Peterson’s score. They weren’t alone in the degree or scope of their blunders, but theirs were among the most egregious.
Why have the Bears fallen apart over the last two seasons?
"I don't know," Matt Nagy says.
And that's why he's done.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) December 6, 2020
E-Special-ly Frustrating
“He’s just a rookie.” That’s the refrain you have to keep repeating to not boil over in frustration with Darnell Mooney after he fielded the kickoff following the Lions scored to draw within three and slid down at Chicago’s own 11. Yes, it was a baffling decision by arguably the fastest player on the team. But the decision to put him back there is the bad part. Guarding against an onside kick, the Bears had Cordarrelle Patterson up and Mooney deep. Understandable but flawed logic. Put one of the greatest kick returners ever back deep and force Detroit to adjust.
Cairo Santos had his point-after attempt of the Bears first touchdown blocked by Okwara who definitely left his mark on this one. It was just the type of day it wound up being for the Bears as every phase suffered breakdowns. But Leno’s penalty that took the Bears out of field goal range show just how important Santos has become. After dealing with Cody “Double Doink” Parkey and then the rollercoaster that was Eddy Pineiro, Santos (who is 20 of 23 and just had his first failed PAT) has been reliable. That’s high praise for a kicker in Chicago.
Ignoring Nagy’s Pleas
So here we are. The Bears are 5-7 and now can only be viewed as the “little brother” in the division. That’s a place that tends to get people fired. In three seasons as head coach, how many games have the Bears won due to Nagy’s gameplan being better than his counterpart’s? Conversely, how many games have the Bears lost due to Nagy’s gameplan being substantially worse than that of his opponent? The answer to the second question is undoubtedly greater than the first.
It’s not that guys ignoring or tuning him out as much as his words have very little meaning. Just as Ryan Pace’s words about the state of the roster have grown hollow, so have Nagy’s. In both cases, their track records point to situations that have gone the opposite direction they were intended. It’s why Pace’s words are met with apathy even though the rarity with which he speaks should make every time meaningful. And that’s why Nagy’s pleas likely fell of deaf ears; both at Halas Hall and among the fanbase.
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