One could argue he artfully dodged it the first time in Cleveland since the defense managed to only give up 26 points despite a historically bad offensive effort. A quick pair of wins against Detroit and Las Vegas managed to ease some of the tension after that. This time though? There was no escaping. The situation sets up so eerily to Marc Trestman for Matt Nagy. Facing Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in back-to-back weeks. Just like Trestman in 2014.
After falling to Rodgers yet again 24-14, making that a 1-6 record against the Packers, Nagy had no answers for what happened on Sunday in Tampa Bay. Despite playing a Buccaneers team badly depleted by injuries, it didn’t matter. Their defense smothered Justin Fields, slicing through the offensive line like butter for four sacks and forcing five turnovers. Tom Brady and the offense turned all that into 35 points.
In the first half.
People will blame Fields for the way he played. That is the nature of things. He wasn’t good enough and he is the quarterback. The problem is this goes so much deeper than the quarterback. Chicago has a systemic issue that has been evident for years. Every time the Bears seem to run into a competent opponent with solid coaching? They aren’t just beaten, but often badly beaten. Just look at the results against the following opponents this year.
- Sean McVay: Lose 34-14
- Kevin Stefanski: Lost 26-6
- Matt Lafleur: Lost 24-14
Now they’re getting thumped by Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers. Too often Nagy seems overmatched in a coaching sense. That is never a good sign. It isn’t like the Bears are devoid of talent. They have some good players. Their head coach just seems incapable of maximizing the talent of those players. It was the same issue with Trestman seven years ago. He couldn’t hold a locker room and couldn’t make adjustments. Things eventually fell apart.
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— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 24, 2021
Matt Nagy may have wanted Fields but he’s not right for him
Is the rookie QB playing badly? Yes. Are a number of the mistakes his fault? Also yes. Is he getting any help from his supporting cast or the system in general? No. People have been quick to turn on Fields because of his inconsistency. That was inevitable. Fans can be like that. The reality is the guy was thrown into a bad situation and people are shocked an inexperienced kid couldn’t fix it.
Nothing is working. Wide receivers are dropping passes, falling down, and running poor routes. Tight ends can’t get open in the passing game. The offensive line is a block of Swiss cheese. Execution is consistently bad. After watching this for over two years now? There is no getting around the reality. Matt Nagy can’t get it done. His offensive philosophies and strategies don’t work. He doesn’t understand how to establish an identity and put together attacks that defenses respect.
He hasn’t gotten the job done nearly enough.
GM Ryan Pace can take plenty of blame too. His work on the offensive side of the ball in the draft and free agency has been less than stellar. If those two were a package deal coming into this season, then it’s only fitting they get sent out that way. The McCaskeys have a lifeline in Fields that may save them from another long rebuild. They have to find people who can help him though. That is not Nagy.