The Chicago Bears were knocked out of the playoffs in the wild card round by the New Orleans Saints. It was another tough affair for fans to sit through. Not much fun. The defense held its own for almost three quarters but finally wilted to allow 21 points. They got no help from the offense which managed three points until the final seconds of the game when they scored a touchdown to make it 21-9.

It was another embarrassing 60 minutes of football that saw the Bears overwhelmed by the moment. Too many penalties, too many dropped passes, an unnecessary ejection, and all-around bad discipline. For a team that always talks about how good they think they are, they never seem to show it against opponents that are actually good.

The only thing left to wonder is how this affects their future.

George McCaskey had a lot of questions to answer coming out of this game. The biggest of them regarding the fates of GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. Both were kept in place after the 8-8 finish last season in hopes they’d be able to get back on the right track this year. Though they did start 5-1, the Bears collapsed down the stretch to again finish 8-8. Only an expansion of the playoff field from six teams to seven got them in the playoffs.

After suffering a blowout loss to Green Bay in the season finale, they were again blown out by the Saints. This raised serious questions. Could those two be fired after such a disappointing finish to the season. SM has reported for weeks both would be in serious trouble if things went down like this. Sure enough, something interesting happened a few hours after the game.

Update on #Bears postseason media availability….

We hear from players tomorrow morning. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace availability will be announced later in the week per the email.

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) January 11, 2021

What’s so interesting about that? Namely the fact that Nagy and Pace’s availability was made “later in the week.” This would lead one to wonder if the Bears aren’t making them available right away due to their job statuses. Last season the two appeared for their press conference just 48 hours after the season ended. So this sudden shift in protocol is odd, to say the least.

The #Bears did have a date for Nagy/Pace right away last year (Was day after). I don't know if that makes a big difference for this year or not in terms of changes. So take that FWIW.

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) January 11, 2021

Chicago Bears will have a hard time selling no changes

Fans aren’t stupid. They understand the context. The Bears making the playoffs meant little in the grand scheme. They were ultimately an average team that got in on a technicality. Pace and Nagy have now produced an average team two years in a row. It doesn’t look like they’re going to be able to make it much better next season either. Pace has almost no spending money available and they won’t pick until 20th in the 1st round of the 2021 draft.

If that weren’t bad enough, there are no definitive answers at quarterback with Mitch Trubisky being a free agent (and a flop). Allen Robinson could leave as well while the defense gets another year older. Their mad dash to win now this season ultimately amounted to nothing. Does George McCaskey want to trust them to steer this team out of the oncoming storm after what happened the past few 12 months?

If so, he better prepare one hell of a sales pitch.

People will want blood after this massive disappointment of a season. Rumors persist that the Chicago Bears team chairman is not happy. There is a strong chance changes will indeed be made and this latest update offers some possible evidence it’s drifting in that direction. The question becomes how big those changes will be.