Chicago Bears: 3 Observations from Week 11 loss to Rams

Was Nagy trying to say something with his move?

Nagy must be as frustrated as anyone at how things turned out this season. Just about everything he tried last season worked, while a lot of what he’s tried this season haven’t.

Nagy and Rams head coach Sean McVay are in the same boat. They both were the toast of the NFL world last season with their innovative playcalling. Since both offenses are struggling this season, fans of both teams act as if they forgot how to coach.

The narrative of Nagy’s playcalling being awful isn’t a true story, at least to a point. Yes, Nagy has trouble trying to keep the running game in his playcalling. He did it again against the Rams, having Trubisky drop back 47 times and ran it 23 times in a game that was close. He has to have a better balance of run/pass. Perhaps David Montgomery‘s ankle situation had something to do with that.

Other than the balance between run and pass, the plays Nagy called were successful. There were receivers open on a lot of the calls. The ball just didn’t get to them. Calling the plays is one thing, having them executed properly is another.

Near the end of the game, after the Rams scored the touchdown that put the game away, Nagy pulled Trubisky in favor of Chase Daniel. When the network asked about the situation, the Bears didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, however, the team reported that Trubisky had a hip injury.

Not many people accepted that explanation. The team said the injury occurred before the end of the first half. The video showed he landed on his left hip, not the right one that the team said was hurting. Also, when Daniel came in, Trubisky stood on the sideline without getting any medical attention. Additionally, if he had that injury, why call an option play, a play that could aggravate the injury?

Many (me included) believe that the injury gives the Bears an out. Nagy is probably at his wit’s end trying to figure out how to help Trubisky. Nagy just couldn’t take it any longer and wanted to make a change. This was a message for Pace and the front office.

Of course, the move isn’t for this season. Daniel is a career backup and the team’s playoff hope is dead. This is a move for next season and beyond. Nagy is telling Pace that there isn’t more he could do. He needs a different quarterback to run his offense. He has a tendency of calling plays for the offense he wants and not the offense he has. The plays he calls will succeed when he has the right quarterback. He’s telling Pace that Trubisky isn’t the right quarterback.

Now the ball is in Pace’s hands. Let’s see what he does.