The Chicago Bears opened up the 2019 season with a poor offensive performance. Many criticized his decision to sit his starters during the preseason but he defends that move.
Well, that didn’t start the way we all envisioned. The Chicago Bears opened up the 2019 NFL season against the Green Bay Packers by laying an egg offensively. The only score they had came from a player many fans were worried about — kicker Eddy Pineiro.
As was the case in many games last season, the Bears struggled offensively for three quarters. In the fourth, things started clicking a bit more but a horrible decision ended up with an interception in the end zone.
Things got so bad during the game that the fans at Soldier Field booed the offense on a number of occasions. If it wasn’t having to endure all those three-and-outs it was watching the offense implode with multiple penalties that broke down a number of series. The team committed 10 penalties, five of them on offense. Of the five, four were holding. They committed 12 holding penalties all of last season.
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On one series, The offense committed three costly flags on three straight plays. There was a holding penalty, an illegal use of hands penalty, and an offensive pass interference penalty. That pass interference penalty was the costliest as it erased a 50-yards completion to Taylor Gabriel that put the ball on the Packers’ 13-yard line. Who knows, if that play is allowed to happen we’d be talking about how gritty the Bears were to come out on top instead of how horrible they looked.
A big criticism that head coach Matt Nagy received was his strategy of sitting nearly all of his starters during preseason games. Even the ones who do play only do so for just a few snaps. Many feel if the starters played more they wouldn’t look so rusty when the lights finally come on for the regular season.
The offense looked out of sync. The running game couldn’t get going (maybe because there weren’t enough calls their way) and the receivers looked confused and didn’t receive many targets. That is, except for Allen Robinson who had seven catches for 102 yards.
Would things be different had Trubisky and the rest of the starters played a few series in the preseason? I understand that Nagy didn’t want to risk injuries to key players. We look around the league and see all teams across the league suffering because their starters suffered big injuries.
Yes, the offense looked discombobulated throughout the game. Would having the offense play 10, 20, or 30 snaps really make a difference?
Here is what Nagy said after the loss, per the Chicago Tribune:
"It’s unacceptable. We’re better than that. And like I said, it starts with me. So, is it a preseason thing? No, it’s not a preseason thing. Our defense, they played pretty well today not playing in the preseason. If there’s one thing that I feel like is one of my strengths, it’s being able to accept this kind of stuff and then try to do everything you can to fix it. You man up, you talk to your players, you get input, you talk to your coaches, and you demand better, and that’s what we need to do."
It’s not time to panic. Yes, this was a stinker, but it’s still early. Remember, the Bears lost their opening game last season as well. They regrouped and had a pretty good season, even while putting up a couple of stinkers (the Miami Dolphins game, the New York Giants game).
Coaching decisions are more concerning
What I felt was more disheartening in the game was some of the calls Nagy made.
He had as bad of a game as the players did. He sometimes gets caught being too cute. On a third-and-inches play in the third quarter, he called a shotgun play that was supposed to be a pass to the tight end Adam Shaheen. The Packers covered it up and Trubisky had to try to scramble to get the first down. He couldn’t and just got to the line of scrimmage. The result was another punt.
Why not have Trubisky sneak it in? He’s just inches away and the line could get a small push to allow him to get through. Heck, just with the referees trying to determine the spot they could get the first down.
Nagy put too much on Trubisky’s plate in the game. He ran the ball just 12 times. He has a dynamic running back like David Montgomery who could break tackles and make big plays. Montgomery ran the ball just six times all game, and just once in the second half.
Why didn’t Nagy run more? It wasn’t like the Bears were down multiple scores. Their biggest deficit was the seven-point deficit that happened in the fourth quarter. Trubisky threw 45 passes. It seemed like Nagy thought the Bears were down 20.
These are the same mistakes Nagy made last season. Of course, the Bears kept winning so not many people questioned him. He needs to find some balance between the passing and running games. While this is a passing league you need to have a good running game as a complement. Andy Reid used his system and took full advantage of the running game with Kareem Hunt. He has a similar type of runner with Montgomery so he has to get him more involved.
This was indeed a bad showing, but things will get better. Nagy didn’t forget how to coach over the offseason. The offense needs to tweak some things. As bad as the outing was, there were a couple of plays, that if successful, would change the conversation. Once they make those adjustments, they’ll be fine.