Chicago Bears: 5 Takeaways from Week 14 win vs. Cowboys
Matt Nagy called a great game
One of the criticisms of the Chicago Bears offense this season is head coach Matt Nagy’s playcalling. There were times this season when it seemed like he forgot or abandoned the running game. Four times this season he had Trubisky make 40 or more throws in a game. The Bears lost three of them.
There were a few other calls that didn’t work that caused fans and analysts to call Nagy out. He likes to use creative plays and most of them worked last season. This season, however, not as much. Even if they worked as much as last season, the Bears are losing games so perception is reality.
This was just about a perfect game plan formed by Nagy. He had Trubisky run more but had him use the RPO for short gains, having him slide right away to avoid big hits. By continuing to do that, eventually Trubisky would break a big run. In the fourth quarter, he did just that, making a 23-yard run for a touchdown that made the score 31-14, essentially putting the game out of reach.
Nagy also had Trubisky roll out and make passes. Trubisky is not a strong pocket passer and seems to make better throws and decisions on the move. Nagy kept the rollouts to a minimum, and Trubisky’s play suffered.
Nagy also called plays that had Trubisky get the ball out of his hand quickly. On passes that had the ball out in 2.5 seconds or less, Trubisky completed 17 of his 20 attempts for 169 yards and two touchdowns. That turns out to be a passer rating of 141.
While many people pile on Nagy, he deserves credit for keeping things together. His players are still playing hard and now that hard work is translating to victories. He loves how they haven’t given up, even when things looked bleak, per the team’s official website:
"“Everybody is seeing what type of people we have on this football team. No one has flinched. We’ve pulled together, become even tighter. We’re winning football games now. We’re playing as a team. Are we going to be perfect? No. Are we going to coach perfect? No. We’re going to do everything we can to be as good as we can and win football games.”"
Nagy and the Chicago Bears needed this victory. Nagy surely coached like this game was monumental. Hopefully, this continues the rest of the season.