The Chicago Bears were in desperation mode on Sunday. Their season was already on life support at 1-5. The game against the Raiders marked their last at home before a five-game stretch where four would be on the road. If that weren’t daunting enough, they’d have to beat Las Vegas without Justin Fields. Their starting quarterback suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand the week before against Minnesota. That put the season in the hands of undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent.
Much to the surprise of many, the Division II star delivered. He went 21-of-29 for 162 yards and one touchdown without committing a turnover. He also converted six third downs, five of them through the air. Together with a rushing attack that gobbled up over 170 yards, the Bears thumped Las Vegas 30-12 to keep the season alive. Yet some Bears fans still weren’t happy about it. They grumbled about his lack of passing numbers, specifically the fact he failed to throw a pass beyond 20 yards. To them, it meant Bagent hand no arm strength.
The truth, as always, paints a different picture.
Arm strength wasn’t the reason Bagent didn’t attack deep. It was a coaching decision. The rookie explained to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and others that the job directed to him by Matt Eberflus was to protect the football and keep the offense on schedule. Don’t force anything if you don’t have to.
“That’s a staple on how I’ve always tried to play quarterback,” Bagent said. “Just getting the ball out of your hands, trying to combine that with making really good decisions. I think I got away with it in college a lot of times getting the ball out of your hand, but also forcing some things because I had that freedom to do so. At this level, we are trying to be plus two in that section, what Coach Flus preaches to us every week. Just kind of had that in the back of my head all week, like, ‘Hey, if it’s not there, play the next play.’ End every drive with a kick, which we were able to do.”
Tyson Bagent has enough arm strength.
No, he isn’t Josh Allen or Justin Herbert. Nobody would confuse him for having a rocket launcher on his right shoulder. That said, he can deliver strikes down the field when his mechanics are right. He’s not meant for a vertical offense, this is true. Still, it’s a club he has in the bag when needed. It’s clear his lack of aggression on Sunday had nothing to do with a lack of ability. It was more about direction from the coaches. They wanted to play a complimentary game by running the ball and playing defense. Asking an undrafted rookie to air it out in his first start would’ve been irresponsible.
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Like it or not, the game plan worked. Chicago ran the ball well. The defense was strong all afternoon. Tyson Bagent did his part by protecting the football and keeping the offense in manageable downs and distances. It might not have been a fun day for the box score people, but it got the desired result. There is a strong probability Bagent will have to take some shots on Sunday night in Los Angeles. The Chargers are 8th in the league against the run. They will undoubtedly want to force the rookie to beat them through the air.
