Fans were quick to throw around blame on Sunday after a deflating 19-11 Chicago Bears loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Most of it directed the offense. Rightfully so. They managed less than 300 total yards and scored just three points until the final two minutes of the game. As is usually the case, the quarterback drew most of the heat. This time it was Nick Foles.

The 31-year old veteran looked nothing like the late-game hero he was in Atlanta last week, finishing 26-of-42 with 249 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. What really stood out the most was how inaccurate he was for most of the day. Several times he didn’t seem to be on the same page with his receivers. Balls were a little high, a little wide, or a little inside. There was never any rhythm.

Plenty of critics were quick to state that this should’ve been expected. Foles just isn’t a good quarterback. He was never meant to be a starter. This is nothing new. Those are the same people who have said since he got into the league. Is Foles really that bad?

Not most of the time. Then what explains how off he looked on Sunday? For an answer, it’s time to ask Matt Nagy and his coaching staff.

In hindsight, that QB competition hurt Nick Foles

When the offseason began, the Bears made it clear pretty early that they were aiming to conduct some sort of quarterback competition. It made sense. Push Mitch Trubisky to see if he responds and if not, move to the other option. That is why they traded for Nick Foles. The plan itself wasn’t a bad one.

Where the questionable decision comes in is after COVID-19 hit.

As it became clear that the NFL offseason would be drastically shortened by the viral pandemic, Nagy was forced into an awkward spot. Minicamps, OTAs, and the preseason were all canceled. Players weren’t even allowed into Halas Hall until late July. This took huge chunks out of the practice time the quarterbacks would normally get with the receivers. Time usually meant to forge good timing and rhythm.

Knowing all that, it’s fair to ask. Was still holding the competition wise?

Nagy basically received a batch of soup that is supposed to come in a big bowl. Only this time it came in a cup. Then he decided to split that cup between two people and expected it to still make them feel full. That is what he did by splitting the training camp reps between Foles and Trubisky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhnzXBOZ5xk&ab_channel=ChicagoBears

What makes it even more egregious is how quickly he pulled Trubisky after less than three games of action. That suggests Nagy always planned to do so and was just waiting for a good enough excuse. If the plan was for Foles all along, then why take half the reps in training camp away from him? It would’ve been much more in the Bears’ interests to hand him the reins right away.

Instead, they started him out on training wheels and then told him to go mountain biking against the #1 defense in the league. That was a recipe for disaster. It’s just nobody wanted to believe it.