The Chicago Bears season is in free fall following another heartbreaking loss against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Kicker Eddy Piniero missed a game-winning kick as time expired giving the Chargers a 17-16 win. For all that the Bears did right, head coach Matt Nagy went against himself to cost the game for his team.
One of the biggest issues against the Saints from the week before became the Bears’ greatest strength against the Chargers. The running game came to life behind rookie running back David Montgomery who rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown. As a whole, Chicago rushed for over 150 yards on 34 attempts. In a game where the defense held the Chargers offense in check for the most of the game, Nagy did not trust the run to close out the game.
Last season, the Bears played the New York Jets in week eight. Following a Jets touchdown making the game 17-10, Nagy turned to running back Jordan Howard to close out the game. Howard would rush for 53 of his 81 yards in the final 10 minutes of the game including a score to make the final 24-10. Against the Chargers on Sunday, Nagy could have leaned on Montgomery to close out the game still up 16-10 but put the ball back in quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s hands. Trubisky’s fumble would set up the Chargers game-winning score.
Another alarming aspect from Sunday’s loss was Nagy’s play-calling in the first half when the Bears had three offensive series inside the Charger’s 10-yard line and failed to score a touchdown. One play that was questionable was the slant pass to tight end, Adam Shaheen. Shaheen was lined up out wide with four receivers stacked on the other side of the field.
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The Bears have run this play before with success against the Minnesota Vikings last season for a two-point conversion as Trubisky threw a fade pass allowing his tight end to utilize his height and reach to win a 50/50 ball. They did the same last week against the Saints to convert another two-point conversion also. Against the Chargers, Shaheen ran a slant that was broken up as Trubisky tried to throw over the defensive line.
Nagy’s worst decision of the day though was his decision to allow time to runoff before Piniero’s missed-kick. Instead of trying to move the ball closer, Chicago took a knee as their head coach feared a sack or fumble would cost his team the game. In last season’s playoff loss against the Eagles, Nagy allowed Trubisky to throw on third and two with 15 seconds left and no time outs. Had his quarterback had been sacked or the receiver be stopped short of the end-zone, the Bears would have lost the game.
It is hard to believe that a second-year head coach would costlier decisions than he would in his rookie season. All these situations on Sunday that backfired on Nagy are situations that he has been through before and showed bolder conviction. In a must-win game for his team, the Bears head coach made several in-game decisions that make have all but ended the team’s season.
