Chicago Bears: Nagy and Foles not on the same page

The Chicago Bears do not appear to be on the same page.

Heading into a highly anticipated game, the Chicago Bears were embarrassed on a national stage by the Los Angeles Rams. The offense eeked out a pathetic three points, being outscored by the defense, who added a meaningless touchdown at the end to fall 24-10 to the Rams. In fact, the offense has been abysmal all season, and thanks to a comment from the Monday Night Football broadcast team, we may have a better idea why.

In their last four games, of which they have miraculously won two, they have scored a total of 64 points, or only 16 points per game. Over that span, they have rushed for a paltry 175 yards on 72 carries, good for a 2.43 yards per carry average. Moreover, the offensive line has been a swinging gate, allowing Nick Foles to get eviscerated in the backfield without any time to throw.

Speaking of time to throw (or a lack thereof), Foles is acutely aware of how much duress he is under, and based on what he told the MNF crew, he and his head coach may not be on the same page.

In the fourth quarter, former Bears quarterback Brian Griese disclosed a conversation he had with Foles prior to the game, likely during one of their production meetings. Griese said: “We were talking to Nick Foles yesterday, [and] he said, ‘You know, sometimes play calls come in and I know that I don’t have time to execute that play call. You know, I’m the one out here getting hit. Sometimes the guy calling the plays, Matt Nagy, he doesn’t know how much time there is back here.’”

That’s a big yikes. During his postgame Zoom call, Foles tried to downplay the comments, claiming they were misconstrued, but they seem pretty crystal clear to me.

Matt Nagy once famously said he wants a quarterback who knows the offense better than he does. Well, as they often say, be careful what you wish for. Matt now appears to have that in Foles, who, unlike Trubisky, has the experience and panache to challenge Nagy. And challenge him he has.

It is time for some self-reflection on the part of Matt Nagy. If he was truly unaware of Foles’ thoughts on this matter, as he said during his post-game Zoom call, then perhaps he does not have as good of a feel for this team as he has led on.

The Bears have two very difficult games coming up, and if the quarterback and head coach don’t get on the same page quickly, the wheels could come off the bus in a hurry. We’ll see what kind of coach Nagy is, as we evaluate whether he should continue to serve in that role after 2020.