Monday night was an indictment on the Chicago Bears front office. George McCaskey and Ted Phillips have kept Matt Nagy around long enough. But, when under pressure to fire their head coach, it seems as though they want to wait to see just how bad it could get.
The Bears’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings in prime time was the perfect example of just how bad it can get under Nagy. In fact, that display gave the front office everything they needed in order to finally make a move.
Chicago was undisciplined from the start, totaling nine penalties for 91 yards altogether — some of them warranted, some not so much. The lack of discipline is no surprise for a team under Nagy’s control, as we’ve seen plenty of unsportsmanlike issues and ongoing offsides issues with him in Chicago.
This loss, though, was something special.
The Chicago Bears’ loss in prime time now gives the front office a perfect recipe for firing Matt Nagy.
If you looked at numbers alone, you would wonder just how the Bears managed three points for all but one second of the game. Until the very last drive, the Bears were 0-for-4 in red zone trips and had entered Vikings territory eight times. Yet, three points was all they had to show for it.
The Bears out-gained the Vikings on offense 370 to 193 in total yardage. They nearly doubled up Minnesota. Quarterback Kirk Cousins finished with a net 61 passing yards, the lowest total of his entire NFL career. Cousins also averaged 3.7 yards per attempt — an atrocity of a number.
The answer to this game lies in Nagy’s hands. How could a team lose a game in which they out-gained their opponent so handedly?
To start with, the Bears shot themselves in the foot several times. Chicago totaled four unsportsmanlike/unnecessary roughness penalties on the night, including one from Nagy himself.
Sure, the refs were subpar. But, the Bears’ lack of discipline was on full display. For four years now, Nagy has failed to hold his players accountable. There is no understanding of consequences from this group. Just look at past years — Javon Wims, Anthony Miller — for more examples.
The Bears turned it over on downs three times, as well as giving the ball away three more. Chicago saw one of their field goal attempts blocked, to top things off.
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