The Bears have two games remaining at Soldier Field — against the Vikings on Dec. 20 on Monday Night Football and against the Giants on Jan. 2. | Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
The “Fire Nagy” ire of Bears fans was replaced by apathy and resignation at Soldier Field Sunday, an indifference that resonates more at Halas Hall, especially if it leads to the next step — empty seats.
Nagy fatigue is one thing — that’s been building since 2019. But “Fire Nagy” fatigue is fan disenchantment on another level.
The ire of Bears fans turning to apathy was palpable Sunday at Soldier Field, as half-hearted “Fire Nagy” chants never caught on and a feeling of resignation filled the air as the Bears lost to the Cardinals 33-22 to fall to 4-8.
In Dave Wannstedt’s second-to-last home game in 1998, someone hired a plane to fly a “Hey Wannstedt. Call Kevorkian” banner above Soldier Field. And that was at the end of a fourth consecutive playoff-less season and back-to-back records of 4-12. Matt Nagy hasn’t even clinched his first losing season yet and fans have already had enough of having enough. Yikes.
Be that as it may, fan indifference resonates more at Halas Hall than “Fire Nagy” chants, especially if it leads to the next step — empty seats. The Bears didn’t announce no-shows for Sunday’s game, but there were plenty of them. And Bears fans who pay their hard-earned money for tickets have two more chances to express their unhappiness by not showing up — against the Vikings on Dec. 20 on Monday Night Football and against the Giants on Jan. 2.
It’s an unscientific measurement, of course, but one worth watching. Because while a coaching change appears like a fait accompli at this point, Bears fans might want chairman George McCaskey and president Ted Phillips to clean house and fire Nagy, general manager Ryan Pace and even themselves. Ten thousand no-shows sends one message. A half-full (or half-empty) Soldier Field sends another.
2. Reading tea leaves at Halas Hall is like deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, but it seems less likely that the Bears will fire Pace — their refusal to divulge his contact status after last season still seems suspicious. And the Bears haven’t sunk to the level of dysfunction that seemed to force McCaskey’s hand when he fired GM Phil Emery after the 2014 season.
The timing also makes it more problematic for the Bears to fire Pace if they want take advantage of the NFL’s new rule that allows teams to interview head coaching candidates in the final two weeks of the regular season. With just three weeks before that window opens, the wheels would already have to be in place to hire a new GM. And the Bears just aren’t built to act that quickly — though stranger things have happened at Halas Hall.
3. Andy Dalton officially goes into the “miss” column for Pace after his four-interception performance against the Cardinals. Even given the degree-of-difficulty against a tough Cardinals defense, less-than-optimum conditions and a couple of tough breaks, a veteran quarterback has to be better than that. Like Nick Foles last season, Dalton was worse with more practice in Nagy’s offense than he was in impromptu situations with no practice against the Ravens and Lions.
So Pace is 0-4-1 on quarterback evaluations so far — Glennon (L), Trubisky (L), Foles (L), Fields (Inc.) and Dalton (L).
4. Dalton’s very first pass after a full week of practice was thrown behind wide receiver Jakeem Grant on a crossing route, deflected by Grant and intercepted by Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson.
It was in rainy conditions (Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray fumbled his first throw), and Dalton was throwing to a 5-7 receiver who is primarily a return specialist. Just another tough break for the Bears.
“That would have been a really, really tough catch,” Bears wide receivers coach Mike Furrey said. “We always want to hold ourselves to a high standard. But I think when you’re moving with that speed, that would have been a heck of a catch. That was just unfortunate.”
That said, when Murray made a similarly errant throw in the second quarter, running back James Conner not only made a fabulous one-handed catch but turned it into a 23-yard touchdown when Xavier Crawford whiffed on the tackle. Some offenses got it, and some don’t.
5. Rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins played two snaps on special teams against the Cardinals, but don’t expect to see him starting at left tackle if the Bears are eliminated from playoff contention. Not even line coach Juan Castillo thinks it would be a big benefit.
“He’s getting a lot of experience just in practice and watching Jason Peters, who’s probably going to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame guy,” Castillo said. “We have so many preseason games. We have so many OTAs. I don’t think it’s that important.”
6. Rookie right tackle Larry Borom is ranked 60th among NFL tackles by Pro Football Focus — with one sack allowed. To the naked eye, Borom has been impressive for a rookie. Castillo said you can win a Super Bowl with Borom at right tackle — not based on how good he’ll be, but on how good he is now. He’s played that well.
“Yes, because he’s big and athletic,” Castillo said. “So he can handle the bigger guys and now, all of the sudden, he can handle the speed guys because he’s athletic. I think right now he’s good enough for us to win.”
7. Red Flag Dept.: Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew’s 133.7 passer rating against the Jets on Sunday in place of Jalen Hurts is better than any Bears quarterback’s rating in the last three seasons. Minshew, who had thrown just two passes all season, completed his first 11 passes and was 20-of-25 for the game, for 242 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bears’ best single-game passer rating this season is 93.2 against the Raiders (with Justin Fields starting and Dalton completing his only pass). The league average is 91.3.
Minshew was a sixth-round draft pick by the Jaguars in 2019 and had a 91.2 passer rating as a rookie (21 touchdowns, six interceptions) under coordinator John DeFilippo, who is the current Bears quarterbacks coach.
8. Bits & Pieces: The Bears gained 329 yards against the Cardinals, but also gave back 99 yards in field position on interception returns for a net of 230 yards — 3.2 yards per play. … The Bears’ offense is eighth in the NFL in rushing, but 30th in total offense — no other top-10 rushing team is lower than 19th in total offense. … The Bears have won four playoff games in the last 29 seasons. … Bears defensive line coach Chris Rumph’s son, Chargers linebacker Chris Rumph II, had his first NFL sack and three quarterback hits Sunday against Joe Burrow and the Bengals. “This guy really knows how to play the game,” coach Brandon Staley said. “We like coaching the guy.”
9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Washington kicker Brian Johnson — claimed off the Bears’ practice squad last Tuesday — kicked a 48-yard field goal with 37 seconds left to beat the Raiders 17-15.
Johnson, a rookie who was 8-for-8 on field goals with the Saints this season before being cut after missing two PATs in a 23-21 loss to the Titans in Week 10, is 9-for-9 on field goals this season.
10. Bear-ometer: 7-10 — at Packers (L); vs. Vikings (W); at Seahawks (L); vs. Giants (W); at Vikings (W).
