Chicago Bears: 5 X-factor players for Week 8 vs. Saints

1. Matt Nagy needs to have a big game himself

Nagy isn’t a player but he has as much to prove in this game as any of the actual players. Ever since he arrived in Chicago he’s been the play-caller. Things were great in 2018 when he was Coach of the Year and led the Chicago Bears to a 12-4 record. The winning covered some deficiencies, however.

While the Bears ranked ninth in scoring, they ranked 21st in yards. That meant that with the 47 turnovers the defense recorded, the offense had drives with some very good field position. Also, the defense scored six touchdowns, and those points inflated the offense’s point total.

Without all those turnovers and touchdowns scored by the defense in 2019, the offense was exposed. It ranked 29th in both points scored and yards gained. This season, they rank 27th in points and 29th in yards.

Part of the problem lies in Nagy’s playcalling. He sometimes calls plays that just won’t work with the personnel he has. Additionally, he doesn’t use the tools he does have.

For example, part of the offensive struggles last season had to do with the tight ends troubles. The Bears went out and got Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris through free agency, and drafted Cole Kmet. Graham already has double the number of touchdowns in seven games this season as the entire unit had in 2019. Furthermore, Kmet has shown some ability to make big catches.

In the Rams game, however, Nagy tried to get too cute. Inside the Rams’ 10, they had a chance to score a touchdown. This is exactly where Graham has shined. Kmet scored his first professional touchdown in this situation. What did Nagy do? He took out both of them. Foles ended up trying to force a pass to Mooney that was intercepted and the threat was neutralized. Why go away from something that succeeded all season?

Another trouble is Nagy’s aversion to calling running plays. Running back David Montgomery hasn’t reached 20 carries at any point this season. Without the carries, he cannot get into any rhythm. He needs to get the ball more for him to succeed.

Nagy says the right things. In the offseason, he spoke about how important the running game is for the offense. He also repeats it after every game. What happens though? When the game starts he completely forgets about the importance of the running game.

After stressing the importance of the running game, he’s called fewer running plays in 2020. In 2019, the Bears ran the ball 40 percent of the time. This season, the number is down to 36 percent. That doesn’t compute when you listen to what he says.

Nagy stubbornly refuses to give up playcalling duties. That would be fine except it doesn’t appear as if he’s including offensive coordinator Bill Lazor in the plan. Maybe put Lazor up in the booth so he can get a better view of what’s happening on the field. That way he can have some input on what plays may or may not work. Nagy is doing this on his own and it seems as if he’s in over his head. He needs to ask for help or hand off the play card.

This is an important game for Nagy and the Chicago Bears. He needs to step up his game just as much as any player. If he doesn’t, this could turn into an ugly season.