Da Windy City
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Chicago Bears: Playoff flirtation saved Pace and Nagy

By Brandon Hinrichs

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 10: Anthony Miller #17 of the Chicago Bears talks with head coach Matt Nagy after being ejected from the game on a penalty of Unsportsmanlike Conduct because Miller punched Chauncey Gardner-Johnson #22 of the New Orleans Saints during the third quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 10, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 10: Anthony Miller #17 of the Chicago Bears talks with head coach Matt Nagy after being ejected from the game on a penalty of Unsportsmanlike Conduct because Miller punched Chauncey Gardner-Johnson #22 of the New Orleans Saints during the third quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 10, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Chicago Bears fans were scratching their heads in disbelief when ownership decided to keep both Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy onboard for one last hurrah.

Anyone inside the Chicago Bears organization: The McCaskey’s, Ted Phillips, Ryan Pace, Matt Nagy … can say whatever they want in press conferences to save face. They can all spin the Bears’ latest season collapse however they like: Ultimately the end result has been the same since the conclusion of Super Bowl XX.

Mediocrity hides itself from no one, unless you are one of the higher-ups mentioned above. Bears fans deserve better than what they get to cheer for each and every season. Yet, somehow, once gameplay begins, fans often trick themselves into believing that this season will be different from all the rest. Only to get their hearts broken once more in the end.

Turns out, ownership, like fans … once again fell into the same allure that fans are accustomed to. No matter how many twists and turns came along the way for the Nagy-led Bears, as long as a playoff berth hung in the balance, no drastic changes would be made to rid the fans and players themselves of their own self-pity.

The Bears made the playoffs because they got a lucky break late in their schedule, beating dysfunctional teams that were disinterested in playing on Sunday, all with porous defenses. Yet, when it came to having to beat actual good teams, the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints … the Bears predictably laid an egg.

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Maybe the McCaskey’s were seriously considering blowing the whole thing up when the Bears looked dead in the water after their fourth-quarter collapse against the Detroit Lions … leaving their record at 5-7, having lost six straight … but having an opportunity to play in the postseason ultimately hamstrung their decision-making.

While other teams with no shot at a playoff berth began their head coaching and general manager searches well in advance, the Bears seemingly put off any possibility of doing the same, given how close they were in striking distance to nabbing a final wild-card spot.

Ownership had no choice really, because the team was still playing to win, and rightfully so. Yet, even though the Bears were playing to win, it really didn’t seem that way while watching them play.

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Of course, that’s more of a byproduct of how fluky the Bears’ season was as a whole. Ultimately, they didn’t catch enough breaks to squeak further in the playoffs. But … even if a few more golden opportunities had emerged, as the Bears have once again proven to the world –  they wouldn’t have known how to make the most of them anyway.

At least those who remain within the Bears’ organization: Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy in particular … can breath a huge sigh of relief, knowing that they too have caught another lucky break. Too bad in all likelihood neither of them will know how to take full advantage of what will hopefully be their last chance to get things fixed.

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