By Jordan Long
The Chicago Bears face the New York Giants on Sunday. They are looking to improve on their 5-10 record. This could also be the final two weeks that Head Coach Matt Nagy is on the sidelines for the Bears. Chicago is most likely going to move on from him when Black Monday hits on January 10th.
Nagy has been with the Chicago Bears the past 4 years. Before taking the Head Coaching job with Chicago, Nagy was the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs for 1 year, 2017. Nagy was hired in the 2018 offseason. Chicago was hoping his offensive play calling would improve this team to be a Super Bowl threat.
It didn’t work out. In 2018, Chicago finished 12-4, the top record for Nagy in the “Windy City”. Chicago managed to earn a playoff spot that year but were beaten in the Wild Card round 16-15 by Philadelphia. The Bears could have won this game but their kicker at the time, Cody Parkey, hit the upright and the crossbar for the 43-yard field goal to be no good with 5 seconds left.
The next two seasons, the Bears finished with 8-8 records. Last year Chicago made the playoffs but were beaten in the Wild Card Round by the New Orleans Saints. They weren’t competitive losing 21-9.
This year the expectations were to at least make the playoffs. They had a new quarterback in Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields who they drafted 11th overall. It hasn’t worked out. Chicago is 5-10 and is going to miss the postseason.
Nagy is an offensive minded coach but his offense has struggled at times this year. Chicago ranks 26th in total offense averaging 308 yards per game. When it comes to passing the football, Chicago is dead last in the NFL, totaling just 185.3 yards per game. Chicago struggles to put points on the scoreboard, averaging 17.7 points per game, ranking 28th in the NFL.
The only bright spot for Nagy’s offense is rushing the football. Their running backs have been able to carry the football and gain yards keeping some of the Bears’ drives going. They rank 8th in the NFL, rushing for 122.7 yards per game.
The Bears know this isn’t how a team becomes successful. It points to Nagy with the struggles on offense. Their next Head Coach, even if they are defensive minded, needs to bring in an offensive coordinator to fix the offense. It could take a few years but Chicago deserves a winner. Would the Bears be patient with a new Head Coach? In the past they have been. The next Head Coach’s goal should be to build a Super Bowl winning team. Chicago hasn’t won the Super Bowl since they beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 20, in 1986. They would like to end that drought.
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