Chicago Bears: Three questions coming off loss to Colts
Question #1: Is Matt Nagy the problem?
Since he arrived and won NFL Coach of the Year in his first season, Bears coach Matt Nagy was regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. He was a protege of Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, and many thought this meant Nagy was destined for success.
Reid’s coaching tree is indeed impressive, so it makes sense that there was excitement around Nagy and the hope he could resurrect an often-terrible Bears offense. It was promising at first, but as Trubisky played more it became clear he wasn’t a franchise quarterback.
This started the division of Bears fans into two camps: Trubisky is the problem, or Nagy isn’t as good as everyone thinks. Many were quick to pile on Trubisky, and rightfully so. There are too many clips of him missing open throws to mention. But can both statements be true?
Bears coach Matt Nagy says holding an opponent to 19 points should win you a game.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) October 5, 2020
NFL teams that allowed 19 points or fewer have won 82% of their games in 2019 & '20 . The Bears have now lost four times when holding the opponent to 19 or fewer.
Nagy came to the Bears with only about half a season of playcalling experience with the Chiefs, and after suffering a disappointing playoff loss in his last game in Kansas City. He seemed to be a great fit for the Bears in his first season, but things haven’t been great since.
The Bears run game is unimpressive under Nagy, and he’s struggled to consistently stick with the run in games and rack up yards. Certainly losing halfback Tarik Cohen to a torn ACL this season isn’t helping, but it’s looking like more of the same on the ground for the Bears.
They had 28 rushing yards as a team on Sunday. The offensive line continues to struggle, and the Bears are now the only team in the NFL to not score in the third quarter through four games.
I’m not saying the team should fire Nagy, but I think it’s very important for fans to keep a close eye on how the offense performs in the coming weeks with Foles under center. It will help clarify some of the issues this team faces.