Chicago Bears ownership doesn’t like losing in general. Who would? However, when it comes to the Green Bay Packers? They like it far, far less. The fact they’ve had to endure that for mostly three decades now is undoubtedly grating on their patience. So Sunday probably didn’t do anybody any favors as the team fell to Green Bay again 24-14. Nobody felt the loss more than Matt Nagy.
He now sits at 1-6 in his coaching career against that team. This is despite having a roster that has made the playoffs twice in the past three years. It’s not like the Packers have been invincible. Yet for whatever reason whenever they play Aaron Rodgers, they fail to perform. Especially on offense. Where things get interesting comes via a comment from Bears insider Adam Jahns of The Athletic. He seemed to insinuate on Twitter that the loss itself was bad enough for this current regime. For Rodgers to rub their faces in it with his, “I still own you” comment?
That might’ve made it even worse.
Was thinking about this. You know nothing enrages Bears ownership more than the losses to the Packers. Rodgers’ “I own you” comments will have some legs. https://t.co/WJmA33SCzq
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) October 20, 2021
Nagy was already on the hot seat in the eyes of most people coming into 2021. George McCaskey made the decision to give him another year in hopes he could get this team over the hump in the playoffs. So far, those signs of “progress” he expected have not shown up. The Bears are 3-3 with an offense that is dead last in most categories this season. They’ve been relying on the defense yet again to carry them this far.
This isn’t what the Bears hired Nagy to do. They brought him in to elevate the offense into the 21st century and close the gap with Green Bay. He has done neither of those things. If ownership wanted to win games this way, they would’ve just kept John Fox as head coach.
Matt Nagy is staring down a gauntlet now
The next four games could end up deciding his future as a head coach in the NFL. The Bears must travel to Tampa Bay against Tom Brady and the red-hot Buccaneers. Then they face San Francisco and Pittsburgh before reaching the bye week. After that, they face the also scorching Baltimore Ravens. If they’re not careful, Chicago might find itself out of the playoff picture before Thanksgiving.
If that happens on top of the offense continuing to struggle? Matt Nagy won’t have any argument left to justify keeping him as the head coach. It would be rather ironic that a comment by Rodgers of all people truly started the ball rolling on the Bears sending him packing. The football gods work in mysterious ways.
One thing is clear.
Don’t expect McCaskey to make a move before January. The Bears have never fired a coach during a season and that likely won’t change this year. Not unless this team completely falls off a cliff and outright looks like they quit on the coach. One thing not going in Nagy’s favor? They have to play the Packers again. Falling to 1-7 at Lambeau Field could end up being the final death blow.