In terms of the playoff hopes the Chicago Bears had this season? Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers may have been the knockout blow. At 3-5, their chances of rallying to reach the postseason against this schedule are long. At the same time, there is a silver lining. Given how the game itself played out, it was the absolute perfect result for those (many) fans out there who want Matt Nagy fired.
Think about how the game unfolded. The loss itself for starters. Many feel the best way for Nagy to keep his job is by posting a winning record at the very least and preferably make the playoffs. “Show progress,” as George McCaskey put it. Having now lost three in a row, the prospects of that happening are all but dead. Yet it gets even better because this also happened to be the week Justin Fields had his best game as a professional.
A game Nagy happened to not attend.
He was absent due to COVID-19. That meant Chris Tabor took over head coaching duties. It also meant offensive coordinator Bill Lazor had total control of the offense including the game plan. Sure enough, the Bears ran a lot of plays they haven’t done enough this year. Heavy play action, bootlegs, RPOs, and designed quarterback runs. Fields looked so much more comfortable and played like it.
He completed 70% of his passes for 175 yards and a touchdown while also running for 103 yards on the ground including another. His only blemish was an interception that went through his receiver’s hands late in the game. He was the best player on the field. The fact it happened the moment Nagy was out of the picture? That leads to speculation about what exactly it is the head coach brings to the table for this team.
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Matt Nagy hasn’t done much of anything positive this year
He tried to take back playcalling this offseason. That blew up in his face after just three games. He wanted to sit Fields for the year, going so far as to not give him any reps in training camp with the first-team offense. Then Andy Dalton gets hurt in the second game of the year, forcing the rookie into the lineup with no chemistry with the starters. A week later he delivered a downright negligent gameplan against Cleveland that saw him get sacked nine times.
Nothing about this season suggests that Matt Nagy is qualified to oversee the development of Fields beyond 2021. His offense has been a mess since the end of 2018. The defense isn’t capable of carrying it anymore. This head coach is a liability. He isn’t making this team better. They aren’t playing up to their potential. When this is the case, the man should end up losing his job.
Now ownership caught a glimpse of why.
The team isn’t any good and the quarterback played his best game as a pro with the supposed QB guru nowhere near the sideline. There isn’t any further evidence needed to understand Nagy brings nothing of value to the table. This team isn’t better with him. So it might be time to explore life without him.